The icon painting depiction of the baptism was formed in early 14th century in Byzantium. Jesus Christ wearing a loincloth was usually painted in the center of the icon. He was in the waters of the Jordan River. The stance of Savior was never static or immovable, he was always taking a step which symbolized his further serving to people. 

To His left one could see John the Forerunner, or John the Baptist. With his right hand he was pouring water on Jesus’ head. Angels were painted to the right of Jesus. They had a cloth to wrap baptized Jesus.

The banks of Jordan are painted cliffy with rock-mound ledges, a symbolic representation of mountains. They are painted in the shape of steps that symbolize the spiritual ascension of a man. Also on this icon Jesus is blessing the waters of the river with His right hand.

The icon was painted on two panels fixed together. In order to protect them from splitting, two thin splines, strips of wood, were attached to the backside of the icon at different height. There is a rectangular deepening in the center of the icon panel for the main painting called the ark. Before the painting, the wooden panel was covered with levkas, a mixture of chalk and glue. Painters used paints made of powdered pigments mixed with egg yolk. Ochre was used to paint river banks, its pigments were made from clay and rust. Ochre was mixed with soot to paint dark waters of the Jordan River. One of the angels was depicted in a bright red and coral garment. This pigment was made from cinnabar, a heavy reddish mercuric sulfide. Due to admixtures, the color of the paint can vary from flame-red to crimson. 

The icon from the Rybinsk Museum Reserve contains some elements of gilding, remnants of riza and traces of small nails used to fix it. The backside of the icon is tightly covered with old cloth. The image considered to be lost, however, restorers managed to remove a nontransparent cover of old oil vanish and restore the icon.