Modernist Gouache Painting on Paper of Woman in Bedroom hanging sign I have not touched its

I have not touched its surface

and sold as found in an old wooden box with fake grass inside

The piece is in excellent condition

Sewn onto the linen at lower left is a piece of ruled paper signed by an Emma Merkesell

soulful representation as poignant a depiction of being trapped--literally chained--in limbo as could be

Modernist Gouache Painting on Paper of Woman in Bedroom hanging sign I have not touched itsThis painting on paper, gouache I believe, is one of my favorite Brimfield finds, which I removed from an unsuited frame, in part to look for, but not to find, a signature. (The unpainted border is the paper itself; the painting is not mounted to a backing sheet.) I think it's wonderfully done, and wonderfully mysterious not quite sure what is going on here?! It appears as if our nude might be about to light, or to extinguish, the lamp beside her bed