A Bright Bird Perched Inside A Maze Cage Panama Mola

A Bright Bird Perched Inside A Maze Cage Mola is a hand sewn textile by a Guna (Kuna) artisan in Panama. A small bird perches on a leafy branch in a little window at the center, while four huge stepped hooks turn inward around it like the bars of a cage. Your gaze travels the whole maze before it finally comes to rest on the tiny perched figure. At 16.5 inches wide and 13 inches high, it is a generous size for a framed centerpiece. Give it a wall in a reading nook or a sitting room where you can look at it closely.

Molas are built by stacking several layers of colored cotton, then cutting down through one layer at a time so the colors underneath show through, and turning every raw edge under and stitching it closed by hand. The technique is called reverse appliqué, and a good panel is judged by how fine the stitches are and how many layers deep the cutting goes. This one came from Guna Yala, the San Blas islands off Panama's Caribbean coast, where the designs draw on the birds, fish, plants and geometric patterns of the islands and rainforest. It is ready to frame, mount, or sew into a pillow or a quilt panel, and no two are ever alike.

Founded in 1991, TraderBrock celebrates the handcraft of Latin America's indigenous peoples. Every piece comes from Guna, Wounaan and Emberá artisans we know by name, and all profits are reinvested in their communities for education, tools and the teaching of ancestral techniques. Buying from TraderBrock helps keep their culture and their traditions alive.

Width: 16.5"
Height: 13"
SKU: PM2541T