This painting is a contradiction in terms, since with the hands it is perhaps not a 'still life' in the strictest sense. Picasso did one still life with a hand holding a fork and then abandoned the idea in all his other still life. This work may be seen in several ways, as with much of Gollon's still life. The jug actually hints at a man's head, the long shadow his upper arm, and the hands absurdly his. Or perhaps we are seeing a sloshed and losing gambler reaching too late, beyond the dice in shadow for the water jug, but unable to save himself he slips beneath the table. Partly due to the red underpainting, the jug itself is a rich terracotta colour and very real, while the hands may also perhaps be held in supplication.