A rare image of the Mother of God the Deliveress of Sufferers from Misfortunes. The Mother of God is depicted half-length, with her head slightly inclined to her Son resting in her arms. The Infant Christ is gently leaning towards her. Wearing a crown and gem-studded royal attire the Virgin is presented as the Queen of Heaven. The icon is painted in the traditional manner, in ochre tones with the addition of red and pink and extensive gold highlighting. The gold background bears red calligraphic inscriptions in Greek and Old Slavonic: MP ΘΥ (Μήτηρ Θεοῦ, Mother of God) in the upper corners and IC-XC (Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, Jesus Christ) above Christ’s head and “The Image of the Holy Mother of God [the Deliveress] of Sufferers from Misfortunes” (образ Пресвятой Богородицы [избавление] от бед страждущих) to the left of the Virgin.
The Mother of God the Deliveress, 16th century, Yelokhovo Cathedral, Moscow
The Mother of God the Deliveress is a version of the Byzantine type of Hodegetria (the One who shows the way in Greek). Its prototype is the 16th-century miracle-working icon from the Epiphany Cathedral at Yelokhovo in Moscow. Another famous icon of this type is in St. Nicholas Convent in Arzamas.
