This drawing shows three designs for vases on one page, each arranged in a rather gestural manner. The crowded nature of the composition suggests that this drawing represents an interim phase of the design process, and certainly one which is a fair distance away from any possible presentation drawing for the client. Subtle illustrations by the designer at the top of the uppermost two vases indicate a suggested arrangement of the flowers, and thus convey how the vases may be used in a practical situation. The third vase design (lower-left portion of the drawing) appears to refer to the vase design immediately above it, and indicates an alternative design for the plinth of the vase.
All three vase designs incorporate the figure of the caryatid. In classical Greek and Roman architecture the caryatid was a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support, taking the place of a column or pillar, supporting the entablature/pediment on her head. In the 16th-century, this architectural motif was appropriated into the decorative arts, appearing in the design of objects such as candlestickes, table legs and vases, lending architectural weight and gravitas to domestic objects.