Second phylactery of Saint André

A small nielloed square on which the saint with a halo is represented constitutes the centre of this work. The iconographic vocabulary is the same as for the phylactery of Saint Andrew, but the craftsmanship indicates a different hand. On the reverse side is a Christ in Majesty, holding a globe, surrounded by symbols of the four evangelists.

A phylactery is a reliquary, whose origin lies in the Greek word that designated the amulet that Christians in the Orient liked to wear around their neck.