This 15th century Russian Icon of Mary is painted with egg tempera on wood, with a hand-made high relief repousse sterling silver cover (riza). The crucifixion of Christ is depicted in the background on the right hand side. The Greek abbreviation of Mary's title, Meter Theotokos, or "Mother of God" is next to Mary's head.
Icon painting in Russia, as elsewhere, has followed traditional canons. As a result, the forms of the Russian icon remain unchanged through the centuries. However, the enormous and varied iconography of the Mother of God in icons is impressive. There are no less than 300 types, all different.
Icons which represent individual saints have been the object of veneration. Icons are intended to aid contemplative prayer. They are more concerned with conveying meditative harmony or inspiring faith than with depicting illusionistic space.