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ere Mary, the Mother of God, holds the infant Christ in her left arm and gestures towards Him with her right hand and arm. It is this gesturing motion from which the title of this icon is derived. In Greek, the word “Hodigitria” means “way-shower.” And thus in this composition, Mary is the one who shows the viewer of this icon “the way” to salvation, her son Christ Jesus. Generally speaking, the term “Odigitriya” is used as a generic label for icons of Mary gesturing towards the infant Christ, rather than to indicate a specific “type” of icon. In this example, the title “Odigitriya” is written in gilded raised gesso above the right shoulder of the Virgin. Stylistically this icon conforms to a refined 16th century style. The gilded raised relief border and haloes were not unknown on earlier icons, but would not be considered a common feature.

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he top inscription indicates that this icon depicts the Great Martyr George (Velikomuchenik Georgiy), also known as Georgiy Pobyedonosets, “George the Victorious.” He is a mounted soldier who strikes with a lance at a dragon beneath his horse. The image is very old, and most historians agree it can be traced to Roman Egypt, where the mounted warrior in Roman armor is the God Horus, and the dragon a crocodile, symbolizing the evil god, Set. In this example an angel descends from heaven and places a crown of victory on George’s head. On the right is a stylized city with a king and queen watching from the battlements. According to tradition, George came to Silene in the providence of Libya, where a ravaging dragon demanded daily sacrifice. Fate chose the king’s daughter, but George subdued the beast and told the princess, whose name was Elisaba, to fasten her sash about the neck of the dragon so that it might be led through the town for conversion of the people before it was finally killed. In the upper left corner Christ holds the Gospels and delivers a blessing from the heavens. The left border displays the “Guardian Angel” (top) and the “Angel of the Lord” (below). On the right margin is the Venerable Lazarus the Confessor (top) and the Holy Martyr Guriy (below).