This well-preserved steatite vessel is in the shape of a triton shell, a common type of shell in the Mediterranean. The decoration includes low-rise bands imitating a natural shell's swirl, and alternating engraved circles and pairs of semi-circles. The main pictorial scene appears in relief on the lower, broader part of the vessel. Here, set in a Minoan Marine Style background, we see two Minoan lion-headed daemons. The shorter one, on the right, pours liquid from a double-spouted jug into the open hands of the taller one who drinks it. This subject is inspired by the popular Egyptian deity Taweret, protector of nature and life and renowned for her apotropa?c and purifying powers. This libation scene and the vessel itself - the Malia triton is a rhyton (libation vase) - clearly emphasize the deity's purifying role. This artefact illustrates the very close ties between Crete and Egypt during the Middle Minoan III-Late Minoan I periods.