mola | Spencer Museum of Art

unrecorded Guna artist, artist

mola, late 1900s–1994

Where object was made: Panama

Material/technique: cotton; thread; appliqué; embroidering

Dimensions:
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 29.5 x 39 cm
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 11 5/8 x 15 3/8 in
Frame Dimensions (Height x Width x Depth): 34.5 x 43 cm
Frame Dimensions (Height x Width x Depth): 13 9/16 x 16 15/16 in

Credit line: Gift of Carol Chavez

Accession number: 2007.6480

Not on display

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Collection Cards: Animals

The Kuna women of Panama sew beautiful pictures, called mola, to decorate the fronts and backs of their blouses. Like the bright animals depicted here, mola designs include a wide variety of animals, insects, and stories. More recently, Kuna artists have found ideas from international books and magazines. When mola become worn out, the fabric panels are often removed from the garment and sold at market.

If you could design pictures for your clothing, what animals would you include?

Why did you choose these particular animals?

Spencer Museum of Art Highlights

The Cuna are known for their molas, brightly colored appliquéd textiles. This piece of cloth features a mythological creature surrounded by plants, animals, and a bird.

Google Art Project

The Cuna are known for their molas, brightly colored appliquéd textiles. This piece of cloth features a mythological creature surrounded by plants, animals, and a bird.