Icons of the Virgin Mary titled “Joy of All Who Suffer” became extremely popular in the early 18th century, both in Moscow and St. Petersburg, across different classes of Russian society, including both the supporters of the official church and the Old Believers.
These icons are based on the image of the Virgin of Mercy (Madonna della Misericordia) and a number of other images in which the Virgin Mary covers groups of people or associations of donators (who commissioned such icons) with Her omophorion. This iconography partly reflects the ideas that are represented by the icons of Intercession of the Mother of God in Eastern Christian iconography.
The icon from the Andrei Rublev Museum was painted by the artist Aleksey Kvashnin in 1710. It is a smaller but accurate version of the Moscow icon from the Transfiguration Church in Ordynka. The name of the icon is shown at the top of the icon along with the image of the Holy Trinity. In the center, the Virgin Mary stands, wearing royal robes, shining with radiance, and holding the Christ Child. She is flanked by the selected and venerated saints, likely, the patrons of the customer who commissioned the icon. Angels hovering on both sides of the Virgin Mary and Child feed and console the groups of people flanking Mary and the Child.
The sick, elderly, disabled, wanderers, and pilgrims stand out among the people surrounding the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child. They pray to the Queen of Heaven. The scrolls are depicted inside and around the mandorla. They contribute to the volume and elaborate design of the composition. Their white color and placement highlight the standing Virgin Mary and the Child, enhancing the glow. The icon’s color palette is based on gold, rose-red, and green shades. The monochromatic scrolls emphasize the harmony of the colors.
