Ceramic vessels made in the shape of people, animals, or objects were quite popular during the Three Kingdoms Period. Animal-shaped vessels from Silla tombs tend to be in the form of ducks and horses, and they are believed to have been used as funerary objects which guided the souls of the deceased into the afterlife, rather than as vessels for everyday use. Hollow duck-shaped vessels were first produced during the Proto-Three Kingdoms Period, but those were much larger and had more simplified forms than these of the Three Kingdoms Period. This particular duck-shaped vessel appears to have come from Silla territory. The duck has a streamlined body, and it seems to be looking slightly downwards, with a coy expression. Liquids could be poured into the duck through the opening on its back, and then served through the spout formed by its tail.