Ce petit reliquaire d'argent, historié de scènes bibliques, témoigne de la diffusion du christianisme et de la création d'une imagerie propre à illustrer la foi chrétienne au début du Ve siècle ap. J.-C.

Il était vraisemblablement destiné à conserver des reliques enveloppées dans un tissu. Dès le IVe siècle ap. J.-C., les reliquaires en pierre renferment très souvent une boîte plus petite, en métal précieux, à l'exemple de celle-ci. L'usage de ces petites châsses facilement transportables se répand particulièrement au VIe siècle, les pèlerinages en Terre Sainte étant de plus en plus fréquents. Les parois et le couvercle de la capsella du Louvre sont ornés de reliefs travaillés au repoussé et rehaussés d'or.

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The casket is decorated with reliefs heightened with gold, with subjects taken from the Old and New Testaments: the Raising of Lazarus is featured on the lid, with the Adoration of the Magi and the Three Israelites in the Furnace on the sides, framed by representations of Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

This small silver reliquary, historiated with Biblical scenes, testifies to the spread of Christianity and the emergence of an incipient Christian iconography during the early fifth century AD.

From the fourth century AD onwards, stone reliquaries very often contained a smaller box made of precious metal, such as this. Use of these small, easily transportable reliquaries became particularly widespread during the sixth century, when pilgrimages to the Holy Land became more and more frequent. The sides and lid of the Louvre capsella are decorated with repoussé reliefs heightened with gold.