Description
Icon – Our Lady Child Vladimir – Hanging – 17cm x 12cm x 1.8cm – Wood – Designed and Made in Greece –
The Our Lady of Vladimir icon is one of the most revered masterpieces of Byzantine and Russian Orthodox art, renowned for its profound theological symbolism and emotive composition. Classed as an Eleusa (or Mother of Tenderness) type of icon, it depicts an intimate bond between the Virgin Mary and the Christ child, who presses his cheek against hers while wrapping a comforting arm around her neck.
Within this tender scene lies a powerful theological duality: Christ is represented as a wise man dressed in adult garments of gold, symbolising his divine majesty and the Kingdom of Heaven, while his bare feet represent his human vulnerability and the physical reality of the Incarnation. Meanwhile, Mary’s distinct facial expression embodies a “bright sadness”—her eyes gaze neither at her child nor directly at the viewer, but rather look simultaneously inward and outward, contemplating the future suffering and eventual sacrifice of her son.
Her free hand gestures softly toward Jesus, acting as a spiritual guide to open a welcoming space for believers to approach him without fear. Enhanced by secondary symbols like the three stars on her cloak—denoting her lifelong virginity—the icon functions not merely as a portrait, but as a visual liturgy weaving together the joy of Christ’s birth with the poignant sorrow of Calvary
