Virgin
Hodigitria the Unfading Flower
[Maci Boskaia Adzihitryia Newviadal'ny Cviet]
First half of XVII century
Author unknown
Wooden board, egg tempera
128.5 x 101 x 2.5 - 5 cm
The icon is currently in the National Art Museum of the Republic of Belarus.
The icon was described before WWII in the Church of Dormition (built in 1890) in the village of Bascenavichy, Mscislaw region, Mahilyow voblasc'.
It was restored by V.V. Filatau, M.A. Baranau, I.P. Horyn in 1954-1956 in Moscow in the Central State Artistic Restoration Studio.
Virgin is shown in red cape with rich golden floral ornament, with blue lining. She wears blue-green chiton with golden ornament on color and cuffs. Jesus is shown as a child sitting on her left arm, wearing white chiton with red belt, and ochre cape. In this version God Mother is depicted as the Queen of Heaven and Earth, and so she wears a golden crown. Jesus is wearing a crown too. Background has a golden floral ornament. The icon fields are blue with wooden diamonds "stones" planted in the fields. This method of decoration of the fields couyld also be met in German and Ukrainian icons of this epoque.
