Hello! I picked up this very nice painting for $70 at an antiques store recently and would love to know more about it! The antiques dealer said they knew nothing about it except that it was probably art nouveau. The dark wood frame is about 10 inches long and 4.5 inches wide. It features a gold/brass/gilded raised flower and stem design on the front, very typical of art nouveau style. Behind the frame is a little paper tag that is mainly torn off, but the parts that are still there read: "ALEX. _?_ESS; WORK (SHOP?); 6th AVE COR. 21 _?_".
The painting itself does not have any signature that is visible (I can't remove the painting to inspect it because the nails in the back are so firmly pressing it in place that I'm afraid to break something if I try to remove the painting). It features what looks like three young women (muses? nymphs? a princess and her maids?), one of whom has a wreath or crown on (central woman), and one of whom has what looks like a parrot or macaw on her shoulders (upper left corner). They're all looking down at a seated figure in the foreground whom we only see from behind. The figure's angular shape, hunched back and delicate fingers suggest it's an old woman and it looks as though she's playing a harp. There's an odd-shaped grey object to her left which looks like a harp or lyre (no strings visible though, so it could also just be the extension of her chair?). This seated figure is wearing a gown or robe that has lions (or tigers?) printed on it. She is also wearing a wreath or crown of some sort. I thought she may also be one of the 9 muses, or Sappho or some other greek or roman mythological figure - if she's even a woman!
To me, the seated figure and the female figure in the right corner look very typical of art nouveau style - they're whispy, angular, and modern without being 1950s modern. The other two female figures look almost medieval/renaissance style. One of them (the one on the left with the bird on her shoulder) is even wearing a medieval style headdress.
If anyone knows anything about this painting - its subject matter, the year/decade it was probably painted (if it's the same as the frame?), the paper inscription on the back (Alex. Hess? Alex. Kess? Alex. Less? workshop), or the artist itself - please let me know!
