To the Costa Ricans, human head effigy vessels represented a prisoner of war or a sacrificial victim. These vessels are known as trophy heads. The artist's craftsmanship captures the realistic nature of this piece. The artist took considerable time to depict the exactness of this victim. The face is very distinguished and carefully rendered. This masterpiece has a reddish-brown slip and the features are molded into the clay. The only paint used is to highlight the features, which are not raised from the surface of the vessel. The eyes are almond shaped and protrude off the vessel. The eyes are bulging and give the sense that this person was shocked by the oncoming threat of his death. The eyebrows are painted on in black. The nose is aquiline and indicative of Costa Rican features. The lips of the mouth are pulled back revealing a set of teeth. The image is similar to grinding your teeth together in anger or frustration. The ears are stylized and the hair is painted on in black. The vessel has a short neck that opens into a wider mouth rim in order to make the vessel more functional. The most intriguing feature is not the front of this vessel, but actually the face painted on in the back. The artist rendered a child's drawing of a smiling face in a very stylized juvenile manner. It turns this work of art into a lighthearted matter when actually the symbolism of a trophy head is quite serious to the people of Costa Rica.