Central America, Panama, San Blas Islands, Kuna/Cuna, ca. 1950 CE. A finely crafted example of this folk art form created by the Kuna / Cuna Native American women artisans of Panama, and from the world's finest collection of molas, rare for its unusual iconography that depicts a large armadillo in the jungle with a human holding his tail and large palm trees and other jungle vegetation surrounding the scene. Striking, early and rare! Size: 22" W x 20" H (55.9 cm x 50.8 cm)

We are honored to present a selection of molas from the important Kit Kapp collection. According to Tom Hannaher in his text from a debut exhibition of Kuna Molas from the Kit Kapp collection, "Between 1963 and 1971, Kitt Kapp and his wife Valerie conducted over 35 expeditions of the San Blas Islands, as well as remote Kuna villages in Colombia and along the Bayano River in the Darien Peninsula of Panama. Kit's book, Mola Art of the San Blas Islands, was one of the first publications to treat molas as an art form." (Molas from the Collection of Kit Kapp," by Tom Hannaher, 2008)

The folk craft of creating molas began about 125 years ago when the Kunas moved from the mainland to the islands. In their new environment, cooler nights necessitated warmer clothing. At first, women created blouses adorned with simple applique borders, but as time went on, they increased the scale of the decorative areas until the entire front and back panels were comprised of multi-layered, quilted textile designs. This distinctive art form has evolved into a tradition of exceptionally fine needlework and meaningful symbolism.

Provenance: Ex-Private Santa Fe, NM collection of Kit Kapp

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#117186

Colors slightly faded from age and usage, else quite excellent