The Virgin of Vladimir by Byzantine Icon

The Virgin of Vladimir (c. 1131)

Probably painted in Constantinople and sent north to Kyiv around 1131 as a gift, this icon became one of the most revered images in Russia. The Christ child presses his cheek into his mother's and hooks an arm around her neck; her dark eyes look past him, straight at you, as if she already knows how the story ends. After a fire, wars and at least five restorations, only the two faces and a patch of gold background are original.