Lot 570: A Pair of South American Style Figure Paintings on Natural Leather Hide Supports

A pair of figurative paintings executed in oil or acrylic on natural animal hide supports. The paintings depict South American subjects; one figure wears a yellow poncho and a wide-brimmed hat while leaning on a staff or broom, and the second figure wears a striped red and white poncho while carrying a large vessel on their back. The brushwork is representational and follows the irregular surface of the leather. The supports are irregularly shaped hides with natural edges and visible texture. Included with the paintings are two oval patchwork hair-on-hide mats with whip-stitched edges. The reverse of one mat features a circular cream paper adhesive label printed with the text REAL LEATHER. Nearby on the suede-side surface is an ink stamp consisting of a shield-shaped outline surmounted by a five-pointed symbol, though the characters within the stamp are not legible as a name.