'- Russian icon depicting the Holy Doctors

This is a small tempera panel depicting the Saints Cosmas and Damian, religious figures widely practiced in the Eastern Church. Legend has it that they were two Arab twins who worked in Roman Syria and were martyred under Diocletian. The cult of the Saints also spread in the West as early as the 6th century AD, when it was promoted by Pope Felix V in opposition to the pagan cult of Castor and Pollux. The painting in question is believed to date between the 17th and 18th centuries. Cosmas and Damian are depicted facing each other in a nearly symmetrical position, holding a small staff and the palm of martyrdom. The complementary nature of the two figures is accentuated by the color of their robes, in which the red and blue of the cloak and tunic are reversed, creating a highly balanced composition. It's difficult to pinpoint a geographic origin for this painting's author, who reveals a very simplistic, almost sketch-like, interpretation of the subject, yet pays great attention to the physiognomies, differentiated between the two figures, and the anatomies discernible beneath the loose robes. This painter was undoubtedly of working-class origin, but possessed great artisanal experience. The nature of the work suggests a private commission, a small panel to be kept in the home for domestic devotion. The subject is almost entirely legible despite the panel's poor condition. The support is broken at the bottom, and the surface shows numerous scratches and paint loss.

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