What's it Worth: KPM and the Kiesel Portrait Miniature

This porcelain plaque sent in to us by a reader is most likely German, dating to the late 19th to early 20th century.  There were several companies at the time producing plaques such as these, most notably K.P.M.  If it were by K.P.M. the back should be impressed with a scepter or orb mark.

The mark, "K.P.M." standing for, "Konigliche Porzellan Manufaktur," has been used by many German porcelain makers. They supplied the nobility with the best hand-painted ceramics. The plaque firms would have artists copy known paintings onto their plaques.

In this case, our reader specified that the back was signed "N.C. Kiesel."  The "N" stands for "nach," meaning "after," in German. Therefore, we can assume this is a hand painted copy of a painting by Conrad Kiesel (German, 1846-1921).  

This plaque is displayed beautifully in a bronze frame, but it appears rather small. Based on the image and past auction records, it is probably worth around $200.