Reliquary theca with relics of St. Philip the Apostle

Oval glass-fronted silver pendant reliquary theca housing the first-class ex ossibus (of the bone) relic of Saint Philip the Apostle.  The relic is affixed to a gilt paper starburst on the ground of silk, surrounded by silver wire ornamentation and identified in Latin on a fancy manuscript cedula label as S. Philippi Apost. (Saint Philip the Apostle). On the back, the theca is secured with a seal of red Spanish wax bearing an imprint of a coat of arms of Francesco Gaetano Incontri (†1781), the Archbishop of Florence (p. 1741-1781), Italy.

Saint Philip the Apostle was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus who preached in Greece, Syria, and Phrygia. In the Roman Catholic Church, the feast day of Philip was traditionally observed on 1 May, the anniversary of the dedication of the church dedicated to them in Rome (now called the Church of the Twelve Apostles). The Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates Philip's feast day on 14 November. He is a patron of Cape Verde; Hatters; Pastry chefs; San Felipe Pueblo; and Uruguay.