My great aunt passed down 2 teacups and saucers to my mother, who just passed them to me. They are beautiful reddish purple with gold edges and some iridescence to the white. Each cup and plate have 4 portraits in ovals-2 each of 2 different women. The back of the saucer says “Royal Sealy China Japan” and has a white seal in an off orange crest with leaves on each side. They are in excellent condition.
My great aunt was very specific that these 2 cup sets stay together and to whom they should belong. My mother and I both love them, but would like more information on the pictures, name, etc. And even if there are more out there or if they could possibly have been hand done of relatives.
Any help you can provide would be wonderful. I’ve been looking on line, and can find similar cups, but that’s about it. I’ve included some pictures that may be useful. I’m not a professional photographer-but they aren’t too bad.
Re: Royal Sealy teacups
I have the exact same tea cup in my collection. I found it in an antique shop and paid $20 for it. It is a real beauty, but since now we know that at least two exist, I doubt anyone in your family painted the portraits.