Vessels in the form of human figures in a variety of postures have been common on Peru's North Coast since the second millennium B.C., but those in the shape of an outstretched figure are rare. The meaning of this posture is not understood. The male figure, shown lying on his stomach, legs fully extended and bent arms crossed over each other, holds his head upright. He wears a cap made of a gold alloy that is held in place by a chin strap. The vessel is made of eleven separately shaped pieces of sheet silver joined mechanically or by soldering. The underside of the vessel shows the figure wearing a loincloth decorated with a dotted pattern.