Mother of God 'Vzygranie Mladentsa', Moscow, late 16th century

the Child turns his back to the viewer and throws back his head, sitting in his Mother's arms, his body turned towards her as if he wishes to embrace her, he touches her cheek in an exalted movement with his left hand while his right arm dangles loosely at his side

Private Collection Germany

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Recklinghausen, Ikonen Museum,  Pforte der Himmels, 2008

E. Haustein-Bartsch (ed.), Pforte der Himmels, Kerber Verlag Bielefeld, 2008, Cat. No.  67

This was originally a double-sided processional icon, the painting on the reverse has been obliterated. The panel consists of three pieces of wood, and there are two vertical cracks that have been restored, running from the top to the bottom. There are several areas of restoration. The background has been stripped to the gesso. We would advise prospective buyers to view.
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The Russian iconography of the Mother of God with the playing child (Vzygranie Mladentsa) can be traced back to the mother of god Pelagonitissa, a version of the Mother of God Eleousa (Mother of God of Tenderness). There are only a few Russian icons of this type from the 16^th/17^th century. A comparable icon with a similar composition, in the Korin collection, Moscow, dated to the first half of the 16^th century, has the Mother and Child arranged in slightly different postures. (Antonova 1966, cat. Nr. 53, illustration 71)

It is characteristic of the Pelagonitissa that the Mother of God looks towards the viewer, but this icon is unusual in that she gazes contemplatively into the distance, aware of the difficult destiny that awaits her son.

The name of this type of icon derives from the plain of Pelagonia and the oldest examples, dating from the 14^th and 15^th century (in Staro Nagoričino, Verroia, Dečani, Prizren and Sinai), originate from Macedonia.

There are different variations of this icon. This one in particular quite accurately resembles that painted by Hieromonachos Makarios in 1421/22 for the Iconostases of the church of the Transfiguration in the Zrze monastery close to Prilep (Republic of Macedonia). Today this icon is located in the Macedonian museum in Skopje (Popovska Korobar 2004, cat. Nr. and illustration 11).