Old Master Painting of Nude Woman

Here we have a stunner of an old master painting of a nude woman from the 19th century, possibly earlier. The piece may be from France. Zoom in on the photos...take a look at the brush strokes, especially the shaded areas. The skilled painter spent a long time on this one. We do have a mystery artist on our hands.  The scene of a nude woman with the wood object (cross?) is a familiar one among old master paintings. The object in her hand is the kicker. It looks like a powder keg, and the execution is spot on. The rare antique painting was acquired at an estate auction in the Twin Cities. I can't find a signature anywhere. The reverse has an old French newspaper article attached. I think the reverse paper is from the 50s. It mentions a few art shows and galleries.  The ornately framed piece measures 34" tall and 30" wide. The exposed painting measures about 26" tall and 22" wide. There is a vertical tear near the object in her hand (see pics). The French painting is heavily lacquered an