A design probably for an impresa, a pictorial device common in Italy in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and used as a means to display a patron’s identity, achievements and aspirations. The design here depicts a dove, holding an olive branch in its beak, hovering over a dead tree to which a yoke has been tied. Either side of the tree are two arms, both holding swords. The arm to the left, wearing a long, draped sleeve, cuts at the knot binding the yoke. Above is a cartouche, presumably to bear an inscription or motto relating to the patron or the image below. The design possibly represents ideas of liberty, peace and plenty, but the patron for whom the design was produced is unknown.

On the verso is a study of two sea horses, presumably connected to a composition of the sea god Neptune; it is quite possible that the figure of Neptune has been trimmed off, favouring the design on the recto. In the Royal Collection are four other sheets by Farinati depicting Neptune: 905009, 904992, 904993, and 904983. The latter three sheets show the god riding a chariot pulled through the waves by sea horses similar to those on the present sheet.

The sheet is inscribed at the lower right of the recto P. Farinato / 3.1., the pricing system attributed to the art dealer William Gibson (1644/5–1702). Gibson's inscriptions and characteristic price codes can be found on 14 drawings by Paolo Farinati in the Royal Collection, which holds a total of 47 sheets by Farinati and his followers, most if not all acquired during the reign of Charles II. A list of albums at Kensington Palace in 1727 includes one volume of drawings by Farinati and his followers, in which this sheet was housed. The album contained RCINs 904973 – 905026, with other sheets by Farinati housed in a miscellaneous album. These volumes were subsequently broken up and the drawings were mounted separately.