The central panel of the icon depicts the Virgin Hodegetria. The left wing depicts the Archangel Gabriel in the top register and St George in the lower register. The right wing depicts John the Baptist as the Angel of the Desert in the upper register and St Demetrios in the lower register.

Triptychs painted on panels of beech or alder were common in many Slavic countries across the Balkans and especially in Bulgaria, where this example was created. The research of Dr Yuri Pyatnitsky at the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg reveals that icons of this type were created between the 17th and 19th centuries in Bulgaria. These works are painted in a style that Pyatnitsky calls 'folk primitivism', and have a warm, natural feel with rich, earth colours, bold forms and simple design.[1] The assured manner of the painting would lead one to believe that this icon dates from the 18th century.

[1]Pyatnitsky, Y in Athos: Monastic Life on the Holy Mountain, (Helsinki, Helsinki City Art Museum, 2005), p. 238