The sketch preserved in the Archive of the Museo Ginori shows a mesciroba vase with a handle designed to imitate two serpents resting on a fantastical fish, whose mouth serves as a spout. This model, along with its decoration, is a variant copy of a vase produced in Urbino, dating to around 1580, now housed at the National Museum of the Bargello in Florence (inv. Bargello no. 59 M). The Raphael-esque ornaments were reproduced by the copyist on the side areas of the sheet, only in part, since, being symmetrical, they could easily be completed later. These are indicated with numbers from 1 to 4, which are also found on the vase body, quickly treated with chiaroscuro. The numbering suggests the original placement where the decorations should be positioned. Number 1 at the top left, featuring a mascaron and a scroll inhabited by a bird, refers to the neck of the vase, while just below on the shoulder was number 2, with a zoomorphic motif and a central crest visible on the left. The body of the mesciroba contained a grotesque of putti with a faux medallion depicting Apollo with a lyre, marked with number 3 on the right. The last section, indicated by the number 4, was reserved for the decoration of griffins at the bottom.
In the second half of the nineteenth century, under the direction of Lorenzo Ginori Lisci, the Manifattura Ginori developed an extensive repertoire of artistic ceramics imitating Renaissance maiolica. To this end, some decorators active in Doccia copied originals then preserved at the Royal Galleries of Florence, which could be faithfully reproduced or with variations to be presented at national and international exhibitions. The Ariana Museum in Geneva preserves a Ginori maiolica example corresponding to this sketch (inv. AR 07090).
