Handle-plate, with the stump of the handle preserved. The plate is not square at the corners. A large bird to left in profile. The body is heavy and awkward, the neck short and the beak hooked like that of a vulture. It may be a unique representation of a vulture. On the other hand, it may represent a goose. The bird's long legs rest on the edge of the handle-plate, while the head nearly touches the top. Added purple is used for dots on the body. The incision is broad and anatomically incorrect. Glaze: black, semi-glossy, and worn in places. Glaze remains on the edges of the handle-plate and at the base of the handle as well as on the bird. Clay: absorbent, fine, and powdery; not micaceous. The body is orange with a slightly lighter slip (worn in places). Munsell no. 7.5 YR 7/6 (reddish yellow).

The Sardis handle-plate imitates MC examples.

A similar bird appears on a flat-bottomed aryballos in Leningrad (inv. B-2136). This bird is interesting because its neck has been abruptly shortened to fit the space of the little pot and the beak is curved downwards. Such works may have been the source for the odd shape of the bird in the Corinthianizing example from Sardis.