Mola

Museum number:
3-30188a,b
Permalink:
ark:/21549/hm210330188a@2cb
Alternate number:
MVC-0019/MVC-0020 (previous number (MVC number, Mossman-Vitale collection))
Accession number:
Acc.4734
Description:
Molas, matched pair; a) 54.5 cm x 38 cm. Four layers black, then orange and red, bottom layer is royal blue; additional colors used in appliqued fill.; Upper edge trim: bands of red, orange and pink and hand-made sawtooth in black over lime; two long eel-like creatures form the main design motifs; smaller abstract motifs and crosses are positioned between the horizontal eels; vertical slits used as fill; each slit is itself filled with a color: purple, yellow, white, blue, green pink, black, and printed fabric. b) similar to a) except heads and tails of creatures reverse directions; also slight color variations in the fil.l
Donor:
Kathleen Vitale and Paul Vitale
Collection place:
San Blas Islands, Panama
Verbatim coll. place:
Latin America; Panama; San Blas Islands; Cuna
Culture or time period:
Kuna
Collector:
Rachel Gould Mossman
Collection date:
1967
Materials:
Cotton (textile)
Object type:
ethnography
Object class:
Embroidery (visual works) and Molas
Function:
2.1 Daily Garb
Accession date:
June 23, 2006
Context of use:
part of woman's blouse; trade item
Department:
Mexico, Central America, and Caribbean area
Images:
Hearst Museum object 1 of 2 titled Mola, accession number 3-30188a,b, described as Molas, matched pair; a) 54.5 cm x 38 cm. Four layers black, then orange and red, bottom layer is royal blue; additional colors used in appliqued fill.; Upper edge trim: bands of red, orange and pink and hand-made sawtooth in black over lime; two long eel-like creatures form the main design motifs; smaller abstract motifs and crosses are positioned between the horizontal eels; vertical slits used as fill; each slit is itself filled with a color: purple, yellow, white, blue, green pink, black, and printed fabric. b) similar to a) except heads and tails of creatures reverse directions; also slight color variations in the fil.lHearst Museum object 2 of 2 titled Mola, accession number 3-30188a,b, described as Molas, matched pair; a) 54.5 cm x 38 cm. Four layers black, then orange and red, bottom layer is royal blue; additional colors used in appliqued fill.; Upper edge trim: bands of red, orange and pink and hand-made sawtooth in black over lime; two long eel-like creatures form the main design motifs; smaller abstract motifs and crosses are positioned between the horizontal eels; vertical slits used as fill; each slit is itself filled with a color: purple, yellow, white, blue, green pink, black, and printed fabric. b) similar to a) except heads and tails of creatures reverse directions; also slight color variations in the fil.l

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