The vases were made in Italy in the late 17th — early 18th century. Both of them feature handles depicting intertwining snakes, with decorations in the form of women’s heads beneath them. The vases are decorated with multi-colored paintings on both sides — the themes are the same, but the drawings are different. One side shows Punishment of Actaeon — a theme from the ancient mythology. The other side features a scene from the Italian knightly poem The Liberation of Jerusalem by Torquato Tasso, in which the witch Armida embraces her beloved knight Rinaldo.

 
Yulia Ustinova, an employee of the All-Russia Art Research and Restoration Centre, restored the vase in 2003. She removed the old restoration material from the stem of the vase. This process, called rasshivka (tuck and pat pointing), is applied when the glue joints on the ceramic vases become dark and dirty, and the bonding layer is destroyed. Tuck and pat pointing uses organic solvents or hot distilled water — the choice depends on the type of glue. If the ceramics is porous, the restoration artists uses a compress on a cotton swab which he applies to the joint; if the ceramics is dense, then the item is immersed in a solvent or hot water or the joints are cleaned with a brush. As soon as the glue gets soft, the restoration artist carefully cleans it off with a scalpel and a special brush, preventing it from hardening. If at least a little old glue or dirt is not removed, it will be impossible to reconnect the parts. 

 
Restoration artist Yulia Ustinova reconstructed the lost handles and a leg on the second paired vase. She restored the small fragments of the lost glaze and disguised the joints with a special compound which usually consists of talcum powder, marble dust and dry whitewash. The renovated surface of the vase was tinted and strengthened by the lacquer.