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Icon "Theotokos Hodegetria", inv. no. Ж-1452: photo 1 of 5
Photo 1 of 5
Icon "Theotokos Hodegetria", inv. no. Ж-1452: photo 1 of 5
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Painting and graphics · Icons

Icon "Theotokos Hodegetria"

Inv. no. Ж-1452 · Painting and graphics

Project: Sloboda Ukraine Code. Church Antiquities

The icon belongs to the Hodegetria type (from the Greek "She Who Shows the Way"). This is a variant in which Christ turns slightly toward the Mother of God, with his legs crossed so that the bare sole of his right foot is visible. Full description

Date
19th century
Material
Wood, oil
Technique
Oil painting
Dimensions
19.9 × 14.4 × 1.3 cm

Photo: M. F. Sumtsov Kharkiv Historical Museum · CC BY 4.0

Description

The icon belongs to the Hodegetria type (from the Greek "She Who Shows the Way"). This is a variant in which Christ turns slightly toward the Mother of God, with his legs crossed so that the bare sole of his right foot is visible.

The Mother of God is shown half-length, inclining slightly toward the Child, who sits on her left arm. Her right hand points to the Child. Christ is shown full-length, in a three-quarter turn to the left. The Mother of God wears a chiton and maphorion, Christ a shirt-like garment.

The icon originally had a riza, which was later lost. The oil-painted "flesh" areas on the icon are the face and hands of the Mother of God, and the face, hands, and feet of Christ; their garments are rendered only in general outline.

The icon was made between the mid-19th and early 20th century. It was donated to the museum by L. M. Zamoiska of Kharkiv in 2004.

Record

Inventory number
Ж-1452
Title
Icon "Theotokos Hodegetria"
Collection group
Painting and graphics · Icons
Date
19th century
Material
Wood, oil
Technique
Oil painting
Dimensions
19.9 × 14.4 × 1.3 cm
Digitisation
Project “Sloboda Ukraine Code. Church Antiquities”, 2026
Tradition
Orthodoxy

Updated 15 Oct 2026

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