An icon in a shadow box frame. The icon is oval-shaped. It has a blue background and depicts the Virgin Mary holding the Child Jesus in her left arm. Mary is gesturing toward Jesus with her right hand. Mary is wearing a dark robe and a pink cloak which covers here arms and head. Jesus is wearing white pants, and blue shirt, and a white cloak. Both have yellow halos behind their heads. There are Greek letters next to both Jesus and Mary. The outer edge of the icon is gold-color and is pointed at the top and bottom. The icon sits on a bed of red velvet. The frame is made of wood, carved with a design around the front and painted gold.

This is a Greek icon. Specifically, it is a Hodegetria. Hodegetria is Greek for "She who shows the Way". This type of icon depicts the Virgin Mary holding a young Jesus and pointing to him humanity's source of salvation. The age and origin of this particular icon are unknown.

The content on this site is made available for research and education purposes only. The use of these materials may be restricted by law or the donor.

Any other use, such as exhibition, publication, or commercial use, is not allowed except by written permission in accordance with the NHM Image Rights and Reproduction Policy.

For questions on image rights and reproduction, please contact nhmcollections@hellenicmuseum.org