Icon. Greece, late 17th-early 18th century.

Icon. Greece, late 17th-early 18th century.
"Virgin Hodegetria".
Tempera painting on walnut wood.
Baroque carved and gilded frame.
The whole preserves a homogeneous patina that enhances its historical character.
Measurements: 47 x 30,5 cm.

This icon represents the Hodegetria Virgin, one of the most emblematic typologies of the Byzantine tradition, in which Mary, shown half-length, points with her right hand to the Child as "the Way", underlining her role as mediator and spiritual guide.

The Virgin wears a blue tunic covered by a maphorion in reddish tones, decorated with the traditional stars on her forehead and shoulder, symbols of her perpetual virginity. The Child, seated on his arm, blesses with his right hand while holding the phylactery, in a composition with a strong theological and didactic charge.

The whole is enriched with an elaborate baroque frame in carved and gilded wood, which integrates the painting in a more complex devotional device. God the Father appears in the upper part between clouds, while on the sides there are figures of saints -among them Saint Spiridon, recognizable by his characteristic conical cap-, creating an almost architectural structure that articulates the central scene.

The work reflects the survival of Byzantine models in the Greek sphere during the post-Byzantine period, combining the hieratic rigidity of traditional iconography with decorative elements of Western Baroque taste.