This unusual earthenware bowl has a chip-carved design that features a scroll design common in the Iatmul-speaking region of the Middle Sepik and in adjacent areas, including Sawos territory north of the river. The design usually represents a vine.

The Australian geologist Peter Austin travelled through the Sepik region in 1965-66 and assembled a comprehensive collection of material culture which is now held at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. More than 400 items formed the basis of the major exhibition 'New Guinea: Big Man Island', held at the Museum in 1970. This bowl was collected by Austin during his sojourn in Papua New Guinea.