Help Identifying Painting/Artist

[Denny O'Neil]

I have an unusual painting and would appreciate any help in identifying
the source and/or artist.

Does this style of painting suggest any artist to you? Have you ever
seen a painting of this type?

To begin with, the painting is very large, 5 ft. wide x 3 ft. tall,
circa 1840 - 1870. What makes this painting so unusual is the medium -
it is oil on canvas with gesso applied to the foreground of the painting
which helps give it its dimension.

The painting shows animals, birds, palm trees, and flowers (which are
all constructed with applied and carved gesso - the gesso in some places
is over 1/2" thick), overlooking a broad valley with winding rivers at
the base of distant mountains (which is oil on canvas). The painting is
titled "EDEN".

This painting has great perspective and is very exotic, and must have
been done by an academic artist.

Denny
e-mail: 5isl...@javanet.com