Panama Canal Museum

2010 - Katalina de Balboa

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This 2010 ornament is ninth in a series of collectible ornaments designed exclusively for the Panama Canal Museum. In his original 2009 painting, reproduced in this ornament, artist Al Sprague has captured the beauty of the Panamanian woman in her native costume, the “pollera” of Panama. The featured dancer was created in the image of his childhood friend and classmate from Balboa High School, Kathleen Steiner Bennett, who lost a long battle with cancer earlier this year – hence, the title, Katalina de Balboa. The Panamanian pollera is the most beautiful and admired national costume of the Americas. There are many tales related about its origin, but the popular opinion is that it was adopted from a gypsy dress worn in Spain at the time of the conquest of Peru and brought to Panama by the servants of colonial families. The basic pieces of the pollera are the gown or upper part, the skirt or lower part and the petticoat or underskirt. The gown or blouse consists of two ruffles, appliquéd or embroidered in favored color and design edged with valencienne lace and gracefully draped from handmade thread lace inserted at the neckline (the blouse is worn off the shoulder). Wool is woven in and out of the insertions, and two big pom-poms are centered at the chest and back.

In this ornament, Katalina is shown wearing the hair adornments that accompany the wearing of the pollera of Panama. The three combs are made of gold with gold filigree and pearls. In her hair, she wears a set of tembleques, which are made of silver or gold wire strung with different sizes and shapes of pearls and fish scales. They usually are patterned after a flower or insect such as a butterfly. Around her neck hang five traditional gold chains, and a black velvet necklace with a gold medallion. Earrings usually match a filigreed-pearl broach, called a mosqueta, which is worn on the front of the pollera. The frame of this beautiful ornament captures the pearls, flowers and butterflies of the tembleque adornments.

Among Al Sprague’s paintings are those of the Panama Canal, many of which presently hang in the Canal’s Administration Building. Two of his paintings were adopted for postage stamps by the Canal Zone Postal Service and are collectors’ items; other paintings were made into postage stamps for the Republic of Panama. Al’s paintings hang in the presidential libraries of Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan; have been presented as gifts of state to presidents of numerous countries around the world; and form part of the US Army art collection at the Pentagon, including a series of paintings of “Operation Just Cause”