The amphora was used mainly for transporting or storing liquids. However, in the Geometric period it was common practice in Attica to use large or even monumental amphorae for burials, either as cinerary urns or as grave markers and offerings. Figures of humans and animals are generally rare in Attic Geometric vase-painting, and when they appear they seem to disturb the austerity of the decoration. However, shortly before 750 BC a sudden burgeoning of pictorial representation is observed, usually with scenes of mortuary content. Depicted on the neck of this amphora is a single-horse chariot, on the board of which stands a charioteer holding the reins and whip. In front of the chariot is a man carrying branches. The body of the vase is decorated with geometric motifs. The presence of the chariot may refer to the aristocratic status of the owner of the vase or to his participation in horse-races held in honour of the dead. The work, with its schematic and concise Geometric aesthetic, is ascribed to an anonymous vase-painter of an Attic workshop conventionally known as the Workshop of the Painter of Athens 894. This was among the pioneers of pictorial decoration in Athens and other workshops followed suit.