In 1788 the sculptor John Charles Felix Rossi (1762-1839), a friend of John Deare's, returned from Rome to work for Benjamin Vulliamy. Rossi's name first appears in Lygo's correspondence to William Duesbury in September and October of that year with reference to the execution of the female sacrifice figure, taken from a drawing provided by Vulliamy. Rossi suggested that he also produced a male figure to match and that this should be a representation of Aesculapius. For a detailed discussion on Vulliamy's connections with the Derby factory see Timothy Clifford, 'Vulliamy clocks and British Sculpture', Apollo, October 1990, pp. 226-237 and pl. 15 for a temple clock incorporating the female figure