The archetypal icon, which is supposed to be the work of the evangelist Luke, came in 455 from Jerusalem via Constantinople to Kiev. The ruler Vladimir gave the icon as a gift to the citizens of Novgorod when they converted to Christianity. After Ivan the Terrible had subjugated Novgorod, he took the Virgin as booty to Moscow.
Size 27 x 35 cm (10.6 x 13.8 inches) ●