The
Virgin Hodigitria of Minsk, detail
[Maci Boskaia Adzihitryia Minskaia]
Second half of XVIII century
Author unknown
Wooden board, egg tempera
198 x 130 x 3 cm
The icon was described by 5nd expedition of the National Art Museum of Byelorussian SSR in 1963. At the time the icon was in the Church of the Birth of God Mother (built in 1738) in the village of Hauhlova, Maladychyn region, Minsk voblasc'.
The icon was restored by a team of restorators from State Russian Museum - I.V. Iarygina, S.I. Golubev, M.R. Malkin, A.T. Dzedniankov - in 1972-1974 in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). Some later restoration work was done by A.S. Shpunt in creative association "BelRestoration" in Minsk during 1989-1990.
In this icon many elements were introduced into traditional Virgin Hodigitria scheme from the Western icon painting tradition. Angels, supporting the crown, St. Spirit, new moon - are all characteristic attributes to Polish tradition of depicting Mary as "The Queen of the World" ("Maria-krolewa swiata").
