The Virgin presses her cheek to the Child's as he clings to her neck, an early example of the tender Eleousa type. Painted in Constantinople and sent to Kiev around 1131, the icon moved to Vladimir and then Moscow, where tradition credits it with saving the city from Timur in 1395. It became one of the most revered images in Russia.
Look closer
Only the two faces are original. Compare their delicate modelling with the robes, which were repainted after fire and damage from a metal cover.
Looks like this
Compared by a vision model
