Large mid 19th century oil on canvas full length portrait of a woman wearing a black mourning dress, possibly Jenny Lind (1820-1887) or Fanny Mendelssohn (1805-1847). The subject holds sheet music titled "Auf Flugeln des Gesanges," (On Wings of Song), a melody written in 1834 by composer Felix Mendelssohn (with whom Lind reputedly had a love affair; Medelssohn died in 1847, and Lind, who married Otto Goldschmitt in 1852, continued to perform the song). Unsigned. 59" H x 49 1/2" W sight, 67" x 54" framed. Later laurel-molded giltwood frame. Note: while this portrait carries an oral history of portraying Lind, a famous singer of her day who frequently performed this song, the subject could also be Mendelssohn's sister Fanny, a composer in her own right, who was married to a painter, Wilhelm Hensel. It was reportedly sold through C.G. Sloan Auctioneers in Washington, DC in the early 20th century with an attribution to painter Anna Massey Lea Merritt (1844-1930). (Additional high-resolution photos are available at www.caseantiques.com)

Blacklight indicates scattered overpainting of face, dress, and background. Later frame.