This beautifully crafted vessel, with its elegant and elongated proportions, would have been used by a woman to hold the sacred water that would have washed her before marriage. This low functionality is indicated by the delicate handles that would have not been able to withstand constant use.
The sloping extended neck is decorated with swooping teardrops to emphasise its slender nature. The squat body (in comparison to the neck) provides the space needed for decoration; it is here that function and decoration marry. To the left is sat a woman, her dress giving her a womanly form, and her hair placed decoratively upon her head. In her left hand she holds a large phiale awaiting a libation to be poured into it. In front of her stands the figure of Eros, an apt character to adorn such a vessel. He is dressed appropriately for the festive occasion, with a string of beads draped across his chest and up over his wings. A lovely addition is the symbol of a heart just by his head, and in his right hand he holds out a garland wreath.
On the obverse are two cloaked men. The fern in between them is suggestive of them being outside, as well as the fact that the man on the right holds a stick, which is usually indicative of someone travelling.