Hand-Painted Kazan Mother of God Icon 13×16 cm

Hand-Painted Christian Wall Art of the Kazan Mother of God

A reverently Hand-Painted Kazan Mother of God Icon 13×16 cm, created with natural mineral pigments in egg tempera on a seasoned wooden panel, enhanced with genuine gold leaf and traditional ornament. This compact yet spiritually powerful icon depicts the Theotokos in the beloved Kazan type, holding the Christ Child as both gaze directly at the viewer with expressions of divine tenderness and protection. The 13×16 cm format makes it ideal for personal devotion, family prayer corners, and as a blessed gift that carries the miraculous intercession of Russia’s most cherished Marian icon.

The Sacred History of the Kazan Mother of God

The Kazan Mother of God holds the distinction of being Russia’s most beloved and miraculous Marian icon. Discovered in 1579 in the city of Kazan after the Virgin Mary appeared to young Matrona in a dream, directing her to find the buried icon beneath her family’s fire-damaged home, this sacred image immediately manifested healing powers, particularly for blindness and eye ailments. Throughout Russian history, the icon has been credited with protecting the nation during its darkest hours—from the liberation from Polish invaders in 1612 to victories over Swedish forces and Napoleon’s army.

The intimate 13×16 cm size of this icon follows the traditional format preferred for family devotion and personal prayer. Unlike larger church icons meant for communal worship, this size invites quiet contemplation and intimate conversation with the Mother of God, making it perfect for bedside tables, desk corners, or travel companions for those who wish to carry divine protection wherever they go.

Iconographic Features of the 13×16 cm Format

Despite its compact dimensions, this icon preserves all the essential theological and artistic elements of the Kazan type. The composition presents the Mother of God in three-quarter length, her face turned slightly toward the Christ Child while both figures maintain direct eye contact with the viewer—a hallmark of the Kazan iconographic tradition.

• Intimate Scale: The 13×16 cm size (approximately 5.1×6.3 inches) creates perfect proportions for personal prayer and family devotion.
• Precise Detail Work: Despite the compact format, every detail—from facial features to ornamental patterns—is rendered with meticulous care by Mstyora masters.
• Traditional Coloring: Deep blues and reds in the Theotokos’s maphorion, warm flesh tones, and luminous gold background maintain canonical authenticity.
• Child’s Royal Attributes: The Christ Child often holds a scroll or extends His blessing hand, emphasizing His role as divine Teacher even in this intimate format.
• Protective Gaze: Both figures’ direct engagement with the viewer creates the sense of personal attention and maternal protection characteristic of the Kazan type.

Materials and Technique for the 13×16 cm Icon

Creating a Hand-Painted Kazan Mother of God Icon 13×16 cm requires exceptional skill to maintain iconographic integrity while working in a compact format. The Mstyora workshop’s expertise in miniature work ensures every detail serves both artistic beauty and spiritual purpose.

• Proportioned Wooden Panel: Seasoned linden wood cut to exact 13×16 cm dimensions, prepared with linen backing and multiple layers of chalk gesso (levkas).
• Precision Gilding: Genuine gold leaf application over bole, carefully burnished to achieve proper luminosity without overwhelming the compact composition.
• Detailed Tempera Work: Natural mineral pigments mixed with egg yolk, applied with fine brushes to achieve facial modeling and ornamental details appropriate to the scale.
• Miniature Craftsmanship: Special attention to proportion and detail ensures the icon maintains spiritual presence despite its intimate size.
• Protective Finish: Natural varnish application scaled to the icon’s dimensions, preserving colors and gold leaf while maintaining tactile spirituality.

Perfect Size for Personal and Family Devotion

The 13×16 cm format makes this Kazan Mother of God icon exceptionally versatile for Orthodox spiritual life. Its compact size allows placement in locations where larger icons might be impractical, while still maintaining the full spiritual presence and intercessory power of the miraculous prototype.

• Bedside Devotion: Perfect size for nightstand placement, allowing morning and evening prayers in intimate setting.
• Travel Companion: Easily portable for business travel, pilgrimages, or family trips while maintaining spiritual connection.
• Children’s Rooms: Appropriately sized for placement near children’s beds, invoking the Mother of God’s protection over sleep and dreams.
• Desk or Study Space: Ideal for workplace or study areas where larger icons might be inappropriate but spiritual presence is desired.
• Gift Giving: Perfect size for baptismal gifts, wedding blessings, or spiritual presents that recipients can easily display.

Spiritual Significance in Compact Form

The miraculous intercession of the Kazan Mother of God is not diminished by the icon’s intimate scale—if anything, the 13×16 cm format enhances personal connection and private prayer. Orthodox tradition recognizes that divine grace operates through icons regardless of size, making this compact version equally powerful for healing, protection, and spiritual guidance.

Many faithful prefer smaller icons for personal devotion because they encourage more intimate, conversational prayer rather than formal liturgical approach. The 13×16 cm Kazan icon invites whispered prayers, quiet tears, and personal sharing of joys and sorrows with the Mother of God who appears to listen closely from the compact sacred space.

Creating the 13×16 cm Masterpiece

• Precise Panel Preparation: Cutting linden wood to exact 13×16 cm dimensions, ensuring proper grain direction and stability for the format.
• Scaled Ground Application: Linen and levkas application proportioned to the icon size, creating smooth surface for detailed work.
• Proportional Design Transfer: Adapting canonical Kazan prototype to 13×16 cm format while maintaining theological accuracy.
• Detailed Gilding: Gold leaf application scaled to icon size, with careful attention to halo proportions and background coverage.
• Miniature Painting: Precise tempera work using fine brushes to achieve proper facial modeling and ornamental details.
• Finishing Touches: Inscriptions, final details, and protective varnish application appropriate to the intimate scale.

Miraculous Intercession in Daily Life

The Kazan Mother of God’s reputation for healing eye ailments, protecting families, and offering guidance during difficulties continues through this 13×16 cm icon. Its compact size makes it particularly suitable for bedside healing prayers, travel protection, and intimate moments of spiritual need when larger, more formal icons might feel distant.

Many Orthodox families report that their small Kazan icons become focal points for spontaneous prayer throughout the day—quick intercessions during difficulties, thanksgiving for blessings, and requests for guidance that arise naturally in daily life when the Mother of God’s image is easily accessible.

Historical Continuity in Miniature

The 13×16 cm format connects to the historical tradition of personal devotional icons that Russian Orthodox families have cherished for centuries. During periods of persecution, small icons like this could be hidden, carried, and venerated secretly, maintaining spiritual life when public worship was dangerous. Today, the compact format serves peaceful purposes while maintaining that intimate spiritual connection.

Placement and Care for the 13×16 cm Icon

The icon’s size offers flexibility for placement throughout the home while requiring specific care considerations appropriate to its scale:

• Stable Placement: Ensure surface can securely hold the icon without risk of falling or sliding.
• Appropriate Lighting: Position where natural or lampada light can illuminate the gold background without causing glare.
• Gentle Cleaning: Use soft brush appropriate to the icon’s scale; avoid pressuring the delicate painted surface.
• Travel Protection: When transporting, wrap carefully to prevent damage to corners or painted surface.

Why Choose the 13×16 cm Format

This Hand-Painted Kazan Mother of God Icon 13×16 cm offers the full spiritual presence and miraculous intercession of Russia’s most beloved Marian icon in a format perfectly suited for personal devotion, family prayer, and intimate spiritual relationship. The Mstyora workshop’s mastery of miniature iconography ensures that no detail or spiritual power is lost in the compact format.

Custom Options and Commissioning

While the 13×16 cm format follows traditional proportions, the workshop can accommodate specific requests for inscription variations, background treatments, or coordinated sets with other 13×16 cm icons for family prayer corners. All customizations maintain strict canonical accuracy while honoring individual devotional needs.

Welcome the miraculous protection and intimate presence of the Kazan Mother of God into your personal prayer life—order this hand-painted 13×16 cm icon from the Mstyora Workshop with free worldwide shipping by post and convenient payment by Visa/Mastercard upon delivery.