After a period of stalemate, around 1540, the Pesaro majolica returns to its former glory. The transfer of the Della Rovere court from Urbino to Pesaro in 1538 helped fuel an urban and artistic renewal and thus the representation of 'stories' arrived in Pesaro, where it was performed mainly in the workshops of Girolamo and Giacomo Lanfranco Dalle Gabicce. Dated to 1541, the cup is one of the earliest examples of Pesaro's historiato. The scene, painted with bright chromatism, denotes an almost childlike hand. The characters are defined in an essential way and animated by an intense dynamism. Elements that will become constant in the historical Pesaro area also appear in the cup, such as the approximate buildings in the distance, and above all the insertion of the mythological event in a naturalistic landscape, which is therefore preferred to the architectural setting.
