Rhenish - Arm Reliquary of Saint Pantaleon - Walters 57688 - Left Side

This silver arm is known as a "speaking" reliquary because it takes shape of the body part it once contained. The reliquary reputedly held an arm bone of Saint Pantaleon, a "Holy Doctor" martyred in Asia Minor (AD 305) who later became the patron saint of physicians. The remains of an inscription along the seam of the sleeve refer to the saint by name. The small door with the two glass shields was added in the 15th century, as was the crystal at the edge of the sleeve.