This clay libation vase is a characteristic example of the Marine Style, which developed in Crete during the early Neopalatial period. The rhyton has an elegant oblong body, short cylindrical neck, vertical handle and rich painted decoration depicting a marinescape. A large argonaut shell with spiraling tentacles stands amidst rocks and corals with lacy edges, which sprawl over the entire surface of the vase. The shell dominates the composition, the vividness of which, together with the rendering of the shell and its fitting onto the surface of the vase, convey both the artist's ability to depict nature and the decorative mood which typifies the pottery production of this period.