Watercolor "Grandma", the code E2
 

help to understand the signature ...

Judging by the signs - the maid of honor.

Such a code on the bow was in
Catherine II [/URL].

A generally well written, though it no longer smells of mid-19th century.

As far as I understand it, a monogram - a large cipher graduate of Smolny. Studded with portraits of some of the Empress, such forms of awards there . Several strange that the blue ribbon , but I can see the images on plain strips of ciphers , and maybe tape to the portrait.

The lady can not be maid of honor because of their age , with which were unmarried girls . It is not excluded , of course, that it may be chamber- maid of honor or state -queen. But the maid of honor at the Imperial. Catherine , I do not believe. Date or you can beg. 19, or 1860- E . Unless, of course , it's a real portrait and not a modern thistle .

P.S. And the collar is extremely strange .

portrait in my opinion .. this dress with faleroy on a granny in principle, everything is clear about the code and about a medallion with a portrait ... http://www.hellopiter.ru/Smolnyj_institute.html

and that the signature colleagues?
any opinions?

Added after 4 minutes
first four letters of Berg?
or Borg?

Why strange?
About this.
NK
Zagryazhskaya died in 1837, only I do not think that "grandma" - Zagryazhskaya.
Just an example of an old maid of honor.
On the other hand, this is the second portrait of her - completely different interpretation of the person, without sharp features, a much softer.

In the ladies two characters.
The first sign of Elizabeth's maids of honor.
Second, the code of Catherine the Great.
Watercolor can be attributed to the first half of the 19th century.
Most likely it was the maid of honor at two sovereign.
The old woman looked about 70 so it is .....

To me he seemed to those when I was writing.
Hence, the normal :)> I had to look through the pictures.

It is believed that the author of this watercolor Philip Berger Osipovich (P. Berger -1783-1867).
Work is in the Tretyakov Gallery.