Russia(?) 19th century, Mother of God with Child in Eleus type, - Madonna

The icon depicts a half-figure of the Virgin Mary holding Christ on her left shoulder. The heads of the two figures meet cheeks in an intimate gesture, with their faces facing each other. The woman has an elongated face with delicate features, large eyes and thin lips. She is covered in a dark, maroon-brown maforion with visible gold embellishments at the edges. The baby Jesus is shown in a slight twist, hugging the woman's face, with one hand resting on her neck. He is dressed in a light gold robe with soft, linearly marked folds. Around the heads of both figures are nimbuses. In the field of the painting, on either side, are abbreviated inscriptions in Cyrillic. The composition is surrounded by a wide margin (kowcheg), also gilded.
Tempera on board
Condition as in pictures
Size: 32 x 25, 5 cm
Frame: 34, 5 x 28 cm
The depiction belongs to the iconographic type Eleusa (Tenderness), one of the most widespread in the Eastern Christian tradition. The characteristic feature of this type is the tender gesture of hugging the faces of the Mother and Child, emphasizing both the human relationship and the theological dimension of the incarnation.
The icon is a variant referring to the famous image of Our Lady of Vladimir, attributed to Andrei Rublev. The original, surrounded by special veneration in the Orthodox tradition, was repeatedly copied in icon-making workshops, especially in the 19th century, when there was an increase in demand for devotional images.
Icons of this type served both liturgical and private functions, being the centerpiece of domestic worship.
The object represents a classic example of 19th-century Russian icon production, combining the traditional canons of sacred painting with the workshop's repetition of a highly recognizable and spiritually significant motif.