Stunning small portrait on porcelain in a bold gold gilt frame. It’s really a lovely, luxurious presentation overall. Possibly German made in the KPM school. It is signed R.F. Perlina/Perlino or Perlima/Perlimo. I can’t find a record of a painter under any of these names. The name looks Italian. All that makes the subject of Lady Edward FitzGerald interesting. Some records indicate an antique print of this image as being her. Others speculate it may be Mary Magdalene. I cannot be 100% sure. There is certainly an antique print that resembles this incredibly closely but it’s not definitive who the portrait is of or where it came from. Lady FitzGerald makes for a more interesting subject. She was the wife of an important Irish freedom fighter. She remained loyal to the cause of Irish freedom throughout her life.

This and a few miniature portraits on porcelain all came out of a wealthy old New England seaside estate. The owners were the most prolific collectors I’ve ever known of. After sending many fine objects to auction houses a company was hired to hold an estate sale at the property. The sale lasted 16 days! The average length of a typical estate sale is 1-3 days. After that time the home still had more in it than most homes you’ll ever see. It was filled with genuine good antiques too, not crud. The man worked as a stateside sales rep for the fine European porcelain houses for many years. I have not removed this piece from its frame to check for markings on the backside of the porcelain plaque. Condition is excellent on the painting and the frame is very good with only tiny flaws. The quality of the painting is very good. I particularly like where you can see the transparent black lace over the sitters hand. Her face is serene and quite pretty. The wood frame is approximately 12”x13.5”. The painting itself is around 7.5”x9.5”. The signature is lower right. Below the center of the painting is a small line in the gilt matting. That and a scratch upper right in frame are the only tiny condition issues. The original backing on the frame has been replaced, likely by the former owners. Ships ASAP!

Final few screenshots show the print I have mentioned for reference only. Also a wiki blurb on Lady Edward FitzGerald.

I’ll have a few of the other portraits on porcelain from this estate listed if you want to check back. Thanks