The artwork titled “Our Lady of Perpetual Help” is attributed to the artist known as “Orthodox Icons,” dating approximately from 1475 to 1500. This piece belongs to the Cretan school of icon painting and falls under the genre of iconography, specifically within the series focusing on the Virgin Mary, Mother of God. It is currently housed within the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, Russia.
The artwork depicts the Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child. The figures are rendered with the characteristic stylization and symbolic detail that define the Cretan school of icon painting. Mary’s solemn and compassionate gaze is directed towards the viewer, while Jesus, adorned in richly detailed garments, looks up at her. Surrounding the central figures are two angels bearing instruments of the Passion, indicative of the suffering Christ would endure. The background is a luminous gold-leaf, symbolizing the divine light and eternal nature of the holy subjects. The expressiveness of the faces and the meticulous attention to the folds in the garments highlight the skilled craftsmanship and spiritual depth that is emblematic of this period’s religious iconography.
