In 1922, it was decided to form a department of Old Russian art in the Radishchev Art Museum in Saratov. A collection of icons of the 15th–17th centuries, which came from private Moscow collections, was allocated from the National Museum Fund. One of them was the image of “Saint Nicholas with Selected Saints”.

Nicholas of Myra, the Wonderworker, was one of the most revered saints in Old Rus and occupied an exceptional place in the life of people of that time. Saint Nicholas was a mentor and a teacher, an intercessor and an assistant in all good undertakings, a patron of travelers and wanderers, fishermen and hunters, as well as peasants; he was able to defeat demons and comfort all those who were mourning. At the same time, he entered the history of the church as a strict defender of dogma and a ruthless persecutor of heresy.

Saint Nicholas served as bishop of the city of Myra in Lycia. He had a chance to witness both the persecution of Christians and the leading position that the Christian Church occupied under Emperor Constantine the Great.

There are many descriptions of the life of Nicholas the Wonderworker. One of the compilers of his life, the Greek writer Symeon the Metaphrast, spoke of him this way:

According to the stylistic nature of the icon, it is assumed that it was created by a Novgorod icon painter, one of the earliest schools in Rus. Having adopted the traditional Byzantine rules, it was nevertheless distinguished by its originality. Local artisans abandoned complex, intricate subjects, and strove for conciseness of the pictorial language. The Novgorodians simplified traditional iconography, which is also seen in the Saratov icon.

The central place in the icon is occupied by the image of St. Nicholas of Myra, who is shown full face, surrounded by smaller saints: the martyrs Florus and Laurus, St. Blaise, the healers Cosmas and Damian, and Archdeacon Stephen.

The icon is very decorative — the palette of the Novgorod icon painter consists of pure, intense colors.

Icons depicting selected saints became widespread from the end of the 14th century — the owners expected more active help in everyday affairs from several heavenly patrons.