This oil painting depicts three men in elaborate 18th-century attire gathered around a chessboard in what appears to be a richly decorated interior, likely evoking themes of intellectual engagement or leisure among the aristocracy. The luxurious clothing, ornate furniture, and classical backdrop suggest a Rococo or late-Baroque style. There are what appear to be nymphs in the background, suggesting maybe that this is a brothel that aristocrats frequent.
Purchased and owned by several notable individuals over 150 years in the Oaks estate in Cohasset, Massachusetts which was just sold in 2024. One such early owner was 19th-century actor Lawrence Patrick Barret. A true man of his time, Barret was an actor, civil war captain, and author of several biographical sketches–including one of his acquaintance Edwin Booth, whom he wrote about in Edwin Booth and his Contemporaries. The painting was also owned by journalist, author and president of Dow Jones & Company, Clarence Walker Barron, according to the brokerage. (Dow Jones is Mansion Global’s parent company.) An important and astute media man, Barron was also a skilled journalist, who in 1920 famously investigated the financial fraud that would ultimately land Charles Ponzi in prison.
It could possibly be the work of a 19th century painter who romanticized or nostalgically depicted scenes of 18th-century aristocratic life. Artists such as Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier or a lesser-known academic painter could have created a piece like this, as they were known for similar compositions. There is a signature at the bottom right corner and the name looks like "Roel A. Renee" but no such artist exists or at least if he does, doesn't seem well known.
I would appreciate insights into this work, relating to the artist and details that I may have overlooked which are useful to determining the value of this work and the time period it was likely created.
