Enamel medallion, depicting the Mother of God

The medallion is oval in form, set in a metal mount with a rim around its contour. On the front, against a translucent light-blue background, is a half-length image, in a three-quarter turn to the right, of the Mother of God (painted in enamel). The Mother of God wears a red tunic, her head and shoulders covered by a blue maphorion with soft folds; around her head is a round yellow halo. The Mother of God's chest is pierced by a dagger with a golden hilt; her hands, fingers open, are pressed to her chest in a gesture of prayer. At the upper left is the inscription "MR" — the traditional abbreviation of the Greek "Mētēr" (Mother).

On the reverse is a metal oval with a central threaded pin for attachment to a base.

The object belonged to the pre-war (pre-1941) part of the collection of the Historical Museum. It was evacuated in 1941 and returned to Kharkiv in November 1944.

Note: a medallion-plaque is a small plate, round, oval, or rectangular, with a relief or enameled image. Such plaques were used to be sewn onto ceremonial garments or mounted onto religious objects, such as an icon frame, crosses, or a Gospel binding.

The image of the Mother of God with her breast and heart pierced by a dagger is a well-known religious symbol, embodying the biblical prophecy of the elder Simeon that a "sword shall pierce" the mother's soul with sorrow for her son's suffering.