Having said that, one shouldn't jump to the conclusion therefore that it was a censer for liturgical use for at a size of 36x30cm (14"x12") it is far too large to practically function as that, at least as we know it. It is clearly intended to sit as a relatively stationary piece, having two handles by which it could be held (which is quite practical, as anyone who has touched a censer will know, the metal gets quite hot). Supporting the idea that this was intended for us as a censer is the fact that it has a double door allowing access to the interior, and within is a raised ring inside of which charcoal and incense granules could be placed for burning.
The container is crafted in gilt silver and the overall form as we see it today is vaguely akin to a domed, Eastern style of church with four domes surrounding a main central dome. It is not clear, however, if it was ever intended to represent a church proper and the crosses one sees here (which certainly lend itself to looking like a church) are not in fact original, but are rather later additions to the piece.
Outside of this basic form, on the doors are found depictions of two allegorical figures: "Courage" and "Intelligence" and we can also find various animals on the piece, such as the lion and the mythical griffin. What we do not find are images of Christ and the saints.
If you are wondering about the designation of this particular piece as a "reliquary," this would seem to mainly stem from the fact that when this object was brought back to Venice from Constantinople by Enrico Dandolo, at some point it had been used to house a relic of the Blood of Christ. This, however, seems to be clearly enough a case of it having been repurposed by the Venetians, as opposed to reflecting its original historical function.
In all likelihood, what this may well be then is a container in which to burn incense, likely for use within a domestic (perhaps even imperial) context. Whatever the case, it is a splendid example of medieval Byzantine metalwork.
