How do I tell if I have an antique?

My mother recently died and left me this figurine. It has been in our family for over forty years, and before that, we don’t know, because by brother found it when he was a child. He is now 52 yrs. old. It is a yellow porcelin statue, which has a Japanese lady in white in the front. Is also has gold piping in the background of the lady, and on her suit. It is appoximately a foot high. It has always been something I was drawn to as a child, but I don’t know if it has any monetary value. I tried to search online for anything like it, but, came up short because it has no writing on it. If there is anyone out there who has some knowledge of Japanese figurines, your input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you