This vessel was created during the time of the Wari culture, a superpower of the Andes mountains whose influence was felt in adjacent coastal areas, where this ceramic was made. Across the top of the vessel's chamber is a repeated design, a profile face and stepped fret, the meaning of which remains enigmatic. It also appears on Wari tapestry tunics, high-status garments worn by officials of the Wari state. The painting on the strap handle is quite unusual; it may represent stylized feline pelage.