Attributed to Baldassare Manara of Faenza, this broth bowl and cover are among those rare maiolica objects made to be used. They form part of an accouchement set, that is, a set of earthenware given to a woman following the delivery of a child. The five stacked vessels included a broth bowl (scodella), with a flat cover (tagliere) serving also as a plate for bread. On top of these were placed an upturned drinking cup (ongaresca), with a saltcellar (saliera) fitted into the upturned foot, and a cover (coperchio) forming a finial to the whole assembly. Usually only the broth cup and its cover survive the test of time. In fact, there is no record of any complete set, although they are seen in prints and pictures.

The elaborate decoration of the Lehman bowl and cover suggest that ceremonial value carried greater importance than practical considerations. Richly painted, the imagery is accompanied by appropriate inscriptions. The bowl is painted with the story of Aeneas and Anchises, an episode from the Trojan War describing how Aeneas carried his father Anchises on his back out of the destroyed and burning Troy. The cover depicts, on one side, the story of Pyramus and Thisbe (classical predecessors of Romeo and Juliet) and, on the other, Hercules Slaying the Lion.

Although the outside of the bowl bears the combined coats of arms of a husband and wife, both are still unidentified, and thus the noble lady to whom the set was given remains anonymous. But we have a poetic tribute to her in the inscription around the rim of the bowl: "God with his hands created you so fair that now to mortal eyes you appear more precious than any oriental gem."

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