The sketch in the Archives of the Museo Ginori shows a wine ewer with a handle designed to represent two serpents resting on an imaginary fish, whose mouth serves as a spout. This model, along with its decoration, is a variant copy of a jug produced in Urbino, dating to around 1580, now at the Museo Nazionale del Bargello in Florence (inv. Bargello no. 59 M). The Raphaelesque ornaments were reproduced by the copyist on the margins 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 body of the ewer, and briefly represented with chiaroscuro. The numbering suggests where the decorations should be positioned. Number 1 at the top left - featuring a grotesque mask and a scroll inhabited by a bird - refers to the neck of the jug, 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 jug contains a grotesque motif of putti with a fake medallion depicting Apollo with a lyre, marked with number 3 on the right. The last section (number 4) is reserved for the decoration of griffins at the bottom.
In the second half of the 19th 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 from the Royal Galleries in Florence, which could be faithfully reproduced or with variations to be presented at national and international exhibitions. The Ariana Museum in Geneva owns a Ginori maiolica example corresponding to this sketch (inv. AR 07090).
