Icon "Georgian Most Holy Mother of God"

Date of creation: late 19th century.

The icon belongs to the Hodegetria type (from the Greek "She Who Shows the Way").

The icon shows a half-length image of the Mother of God with the Infant Christ; she points to him with her right hand and supports him with her left. Christ blesses with his right hand and holds a scroll in his left. The Mother of God is shown in a three-quarter turn to the right, Christ in a three-quarter turn to the left. She wears a blue tunic and a brown maphorion. The Child wears a blue chiton and a red himation. Above the Mother of God's head is a round halo, and above Christ's head a cruciform halo with the inscription "O Ō̲N" ["He Who Is"]. The icon's background is golden. Around the image of the Mother of God and Christ is a rectangular frame outlined in red paint. On the margin of the frame are full-length figures of Saint Elizabeth (right) and the Holy Apostle Luke (left). Saint Elizabeth wears a red chiton and a green maphorion, shown in a three-quarter turn to the left with her hands stretched forward. The Holy Apostle Luke wears a red chiton and a blue himation, shown in a three-quarter turn to the right, holding the Gospel with both hands. To the left of the image of the Mother of God is the inscription: "Georgian Most Holy Mother of God" (in Church Slavonic); at the top, to the left and right of the halo, the inscriptions "MR" and "ΘU" [abbreviation for "Mother of God"]. To the right of the image of Christ is the inscription "IC XC" [Jesus Christ]. Above the images of the saints are the inscriptions "HOLY APOSTLE LUKE THE EVANGELIST" and "ST. ELIZABETH" respectively (in Church Slavonic).

The panel is reinforced with one inset batten.

The icon was made to order in the late 19th century and belongs to the so-called "family" type: the saints depicted on the margins share the names of the patron's relatives.

The icon was donated to the museum by V. P. Kulikov of Kharkiv in 1985.