Icon of the Virgin and Child

Description

This gold icon hex tile reproduces a 1913 photograph of a Russian Orthodox icon showing the Virgin and Child, both crowned, with two angels holding the crown above them.

Icons like this follow centuries of tradition in how faces, gestures, and gold ground are handled, and this piece has all of it: the elongated features, the direct outward gaze, the inscribed text along the border identifying the figures. The child rests against the Virgin’s shoulder in a pose meant to read as tender rather than formal, even within a very structured artistic tradition. The photograph itself was taken at a religious retreat, capturing a physical object that carried real devotional weight for the people who prayed before it.

I wanted this piece in the collection because icon painting is its own deep tradition, one that doesn’t usually make it into secular decor conversations. It’s worth having on a wall as art in its own right, regardless of anyone’s personal faith.

This tile is a meaningful choice for a home altar, a prayer corner, or simply a quiet spot that could use something contemplative. It also makes a thoughtful gift for someone with Orthodox or Eastern Christian roots, or for a baptism. Pair it with one of my hexagon frames for display.

Available from 1.5 inches up to 18 inches.