My great aunt was a great collector of beautiful things, mostly from Italy, but from around the US as well. When she passed away about 15 years ago, I inherited many of her things. Of them all, this painting stands out as quite old. The back of the frame has metal fasteners that are dated 1885, so I believe the painting to be from around that time frame.
There is no signature, but I am hoping someone can help identify either the artist, or at least how I would go about searching for its classification, origin and its value.
The frame in itself is a work of art. It has started falling apart unfortunately, but it's incredibly ornate and heavy.
Any comments would be appreciated. I am hoping the image comes through correctly below... if not, please try clicking this:
http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y438/imaginera/54a3bdc5-b6e5-4282-9b8a-a0b51174399e_zps742badb9.jpg