Three-legged, round-bottomed vessel with a strongly retracting wall and narrowed mouth. The beak-shaped, hollow legs are attached to the base of the vessel. They have a narrow, horizontal opening and rattle beads. The object has been smoothed, slurried and primed on both sides. Its exterior is polychrome painted and polished. The primer and paint are partially eroded. The fragmented vessel has several breaks and flaws. The pottery has a white-yellowish base colour, which was painted red-orange and black-brown. On the outside of the vessel wall there are two circumferential friezes consisting of interlocking stepped elements. Both image sequences are bordered by several horizontal red-orange bands. The bases of the red-orange painted legs are marked by two concentric rings. Irregular traces of a white-yellowish primer are visible on the inside of the pottery. According to Bransford 1881: Sta. Helena ware. According to Lothrop 1926: Nicoya polychrome ware. Cultural significance: the objects of the Papagayo Policromo group represent the beginning of polychrome painting on a white-yellowish ground in the Gran Nicoya region. The tradition lasted until the Policromo Tardío (1350-1520d.C.). Its decoration shows a strong Mesoamerican influence. This manifested itself in the replacement of lizard and bat themes with depictions of cats of prey and snakes. The ceramics served as supra-regional trade goods. Similar stepped elements are known from the Cholula Policromo group (1520-1200d.C.), among others. The Velasco convolute originally comprised 896 objects. (Künne 2004)