Russian Icon Depicting the Virgin of Tikhvin, Mother of God, Based

Mother and Child, cheek to cheek, with two small saints watching from the corners.

This icon depicting the Virgin of Tikhvin, Mother of God, comes from Novgorod, Russia, around 1580, and is cast in bronze, mounted on a base. The Tikhvin icon is among the most venerated images of the Virgin in Russia, generally showing the Child seated on her arm, turning back toward her. Here the Virgin inclines her head toward the Child, who sits upright with a hand raised. Leafy scrolls and lettering fill the ground on either side. The cresting carries two small framed figures and a pair of winged heads. It is 6.75 inches high, with the image 3 wide.

Four centuries of tenderness, cast in metal.