Princess Julija (Júlia) Obrenović (1831–1919) was Prince Mihailo's great love. As a descendant of the Hungarian aristocratic family Hunyady, she belonged to the highest aristocracy in Austria-Hungary. Having moved to Belgrade, the Princess found herself in a different and undeveloped environment. She spent long periods abroad, but when she stayed in Belgrade, she was putting great efforts to make it look like a European capital: she organized balls, concerts and theatrical shows. The Princess was famous for her charity work. However, being a foreigner, she was never fully accepted by the people in Serbia.
The art of glass painting was revived in Vienna with the Biedermeier style and it soon became widespread. The themes were the same as those painted on porcelain: landscapes, flowers, hunting scenes, allegories and portraits (most commonly of the members of the Habsburg dynasty). This practice was also adopted in Serbia. The exhibited pair of cups shows the portraits of Prince Mihailo and Princess Julija (Júlia) Obrenović with their names inscribed in the Old Slavonic language.