Cleveland Museum of Art

Birds and Fish Mola Panels (Pair)

Date

1900s

Medium

Cotton; reverse appliqué, appliqué, embroidery

Culture

Republic of Panamá, Gunayala Comarca, Guna people

Department

Textiles

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

These two, nearly identical panels were created by a female artist of the Guna, an Indigenous people of the Republic of Panamá. Originally, they were stitched into the front or back of a blouse (mola). Such blouses are so distinctive to the Guna that they are the single most recognizable element of Guna cultural identity. Such panels originally were sewn into blouses known as molas.

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