The Mother of God of Donskaja

End of the 14th century - Theophanes the Greek
Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

The Russian Orthodox ecclesiastical calendar alone knows already some 250 miraculous icons of the Mother of God. In the immense region of the Eastern Church there is not any city (and in these very often not any street either), not any house, not any region, not any lake, not any river, not any village, and not any town and not any occupation either that has not chosen the Mother of God as their protectress, their patroness. The cause of this veneration for the mother of God is twofold: intellect and religious feeling cause both catholic and orthodox believers to look upon the mother of the ‘Son of humanity’ as the mediatrix of his message of salvation. The Mother of God of Donskaja belongs to the Eleusa Oemilenie group. To this group also belong Vladimirskaja, Podkoebenskaja, Pelagonitissa and Glykophilusa.
The Mother of God of the river Don (‘Donskaja’) has her head more deeply inclined over the child than the ‘Vladimirskaja’ and the two look deeply in one another’s eyes. The onlooker is not involved in this intimate mother child relation, but incited to adoring contemplation. The icon was painted at the end of the 14th century by the famous painter Theophanes the Greek (Theofan Grek), whose work is characterised by daring curvatures. According to legend this sacred image of the Don Cossacks was brought in during the fighting on the battlefield of Koelikovo in 1380 against the Tartars, which is said to have led to the victory of the Grand Duke Dimitri.

Source: Fascinatie & Werkelijkheid - ICONEN - Konrad Onasch / Annemarie Schnieper - Lannoo / KOK

The religious picture has been fixed on a solid lime wood panel, in accordance with the original old Russian technique of iconography with egg tempera and champagne chalk by Ank Landwier-Boonekamp. in 2000.