The Tikhvin Mother of God arose in 15th century Russia as a variant of the more formal ‘Smolensk’ Mother of God which, in its turn, derived from the 10th century Byzantine prototype known as ‘Hodegetria’. Like the Hodegetria (meaning ‘she who shows the way’) the Mother of God directs our attention towards Christ by the gesture of her right hand.

The chrysography which means ‘writing in gold’ and denotes the elaborate gold decoration of icons, which enhances the sense of the inner light that emanates from the icon.