A medium-sized, perfectly circular phiale, with a low wall. The body is hollow with a very flared rim; it was hammered from a single, thin sheet of silver.
This vessel was carved from a granite pebble with black and white mottling. The elliptical shape of this miniature bowl is unusual and technically hard to achieve.
Vessels in the shape of dates, which look very realistic with the vertical grooves imitating the wrinkles of the dried fruit, are among the most famous and popular glass vases of the early Imperial period.