The reliquary displays the relics of Saint Daniel, a 4th century Paduan martyr whose body is preserved in the Cathedral Church of the city.

The prime objective of the confraternity was to spread the cult of the martyr; to do so, every third Saturday of the month the fraglia gathered to celebrate mass around the cathedral's altar which contained the saint's body.

According to the passio, Saint Daniel appeared in a dream to a blind man and told him to go on a pilgrimage to visit his forgotten and hidden tomb in Padua.

These decorative motifsare similar to those used on the reliquaries produced by Bartolomeo da Bologna and his collaborators, during the same period for the Basilica of Saint Anthony (Padua).

The upper section of the object consists in a crystal cylinder displaying the body relics of Saint Daniel (supposedly parts of his arm, the radius and the ulna).

This part of the reliquary is framed on the sides by a complex gothic architectural structure: two pilasters are surmounted by small towers, carved with niches and decorated by praying angels.

The upper level of the artwork is closed by an enamelled blue dome, crowned by a figure of Saint Daniel holding the city of Padua (his common iconography).

The blooming branch is a distinctive decorative element that can be identified as a stylistic and formal feature of Paduan goldsmithing.

At the time it was discovered that the blue enameled plaques placed on the pillars, on the drum and on the knot, are not original, as they were probably produced and added during the 19th century.

These are not the only non-original sections of the reliquary: the light blue enamel that covers the dome and the three plaques with the inscriptions were also added at a later date.