Rare St Nicolas de Bari Santa Claus Square Case Bottle

Here we have a very unusual square sided bottle with hand painted images of St Nicolas de Bari. He was the inspiration around our Father Christmas or Santa Claus. These bottles are thought to contain water from the bones of the saint himself but it was most likely a very good marketing ploy by the churches of the time. The bottle is a pale muddy green colour with single open pontil. Height 9.5 inches, width 5.25 inches. No chips or cracks. Italian Late 18th century.