Icon Mother of God of Korsun - 12 cm

Icon Mother of God of Korsun. Magnificent icon depicting Our Lady of Korsun, serigraphy on ancient wood, handmade in the traditional manner of Byzantine art, the background is made of gold leaf painting. Size 12 X 9 cm. This icon is part of a private collection. It bears the name of Korsun, the Greek name of a port city in the Crimea. It is worth noting that it was in this city that one of the very first Byzantine churches in these northern Black Sea regions was built in honor of an icon of the Virgin, still called "Icon of Our Lady of Korsum". Over her dress, the mother wears the maphorion, a long purple veil that covers her head and shoulders. It is edged with a precious braid. On her forehead and on her right shoulder are two of the three stars that indicate that Mary is a Virgin before, during and after childbirth. The gaze of the Mother of God is particularly moving: a gaze of infinite tenderness and sadness. It makes us guess the anguish of the heart of Mary who is already meditating on the announcement of the sufferings to come. But this look also expresses her maternal love for her Son, and for all the men that Jesus will give her at the foot of the Cross to be their Mother (Cf. Jn 19, 26-27). The attitude of the Child is expressive: with his left hand, he clasps his mother's neck to bring his face closer to that of Mary, in a marvellous gesture of tenderness. It is because of this attitude that this icon is classified among the Virgins known as the "Virgins of Tenderness" or the "Eleousa". The gaze of Jesus is centered on the gaze of his mother, whose suffering he sees, and he seems to want to console her and say to her: "Do not weep for me, O mother..."