Saint Cosmas and Saint Damian. Oil painting.

Saints Cosmas and Damian practised medicine and surgery without payment according to their legend, and were therefore represented to the lay public as medical ideals. They were martyred under the reign of Diocletian, a Roman emperor who persecuted the Christians vigorously. They are very frequently represented in Greek and Russian icons, as their medicinal powers made them the suitable recipients of prayers for relief from illness. Sometimes they appear with another miracle-worker such as Saint Pantaleimon or Saint Nicholas. Cosmas and Damian usually carry two objects as their attributes: one carries a box of ointment and the other a surgical instrument such as a spatula or knife. This painting is a simplified modern representation of the saints, in which they hold indistinguishable boxes with no indication of their function. They do however also hold crosses with a hand at the end: perhaps the healing hand?