This sculpture may be quallified as a gargoyle because of the hole in the man's mouth, which could have been used to divert water from the roofs onto the floor. Also, the distorted and tortured aspect of his features may be linked to the frightening and nightmare-like creatures present on the Gothic monuments and constructions. These creatures had two purposes: to represent evil and dissuade evil sprits to enter religious places, but also to simply avoid the roof from being flooded by throwing the water down in the streets. Here, the sobriety showed by using a human subject may be significant of the Early Renaissance willing to cut off any ties with the Gothic from the Middle Ages.