Hi Dan,

Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry.

This is a second-quarter 19th Century (probably 1830s-40s) portrait of a German lady and there were several painters working in this style, including Friedrich von Amerling (1803–1887), Joseph Karl Stieler (1781–1858), Philipp Veit (1793-1877) or Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (1794-1872).

The German script is a bit hard to read but it looks like it translates to “Letter from …, née Jmmerling, in Heilbronn, from the princely Hohenlohe domain.” Knowing the identity of the sitter may help narrow down the list of possible artists to have painted this charming portrait.

As an unattributed painting, this has a fair-market value of about $700-1,000 but I think you've a stronger chance of selling it at a higher price if you sell it through a German auction house that may have a specialist on staff who recognizes the hard of the artist, which unfortunately, I've not been able to do.

Based on the photos and information provided, and subject to examination, this is:

German School, mid 19th Century
Portrait of a Lady
oil on canvas
33 x 27 inches
CONDITION: Not examined out of the frame or under blacklight but appears to be in generally good condition.
PROVENANCE: Inherited
$ 700-1,000*
*represents a fair-market value for auction purposes; retail or asking price may vary.

Please let us know if you have additional items to appraise, or questions/concerns, and thank you again for using Mearto.
~ Delia