The decoration of this mixing bowl derives from Near Eastern traditions. In stately procession, various animals fill two horizontal bands. The artist probably had not seen these animals in life; he modeled them instead on other works of art, tempered with his own imagination. Notice in the upper register, the leg muscles and padded feet of the leopards, and the way the lions in the lower register seem to be lashing their tails. Sphinxes also stand and sit among the other animals. Each beast stands distinct from the others; no animal's foot or tail protrudes into the next one's space. They march in measured rhythm with flowers scattered among them.

Ceramics were an important commodity in ancient times, for terracotta vessels were needed as containers for wine, oil, and other goods. Corinth, where this vessel was made, dominated the market for ceramics in the seventh century B.C.