A painted Russian icon presented in a deep carved giltwood frame. The icon depicts the 7 Holy Youths, or “Seven Sleepers” of Ephesus. A group of Christian youths who, during the reign of the Roman Emperor Decius, hid in a cave in Ephesus to escape persecution and fell into a miraculous sleep, only to wake centuries later. Their legend, featured in Christian and Islamic traditions, tells of their miraculous awakening under Emperor Theodosius II and their discovery by the world, embodying themes of faith and the resurrection.