St. John Nepomucene-Painted on Buffalo Hide Prior to 1800 1935 - 1942

This is E. Boyd's 'St. John Nepomucene', painted on buffalo hide sometime before 1800. Can you imagine painting on buffalo hide? What must that texture have felt like? It's so different from paper or canvas. The colors here are so light and delicate. The artist is working with a limited palette - earthy browns, creams, blacks, and a little red. Everything has this gentle, aged quality, like a faded memory. I'm drawn to the wavy, cloud-like border that frames the saint. Each scallop feels so carefully considered, like a little embrace around the figure. I'm curious about the meaning and significance of this Saint, and what he meant to the artist. It feels similar to how artists are in conversation across time, drawing inspiration and reinterpreting stories from the past. What a fascinating and unique way of seeing!