The image of Virgin Mary with Child Jesus Christ is one of the key subjects of Christian themes in the world’s visual art. The image of Madonna and Child has been depicted thousands of times in various techniques and genres: painting, bas-relief, sculpture, iconography, and jewelry. Pectoral crosses — the main Christian sacred objects — feature this image too. It is a visible symbol of faith that marks Christ’s victory over death, the triumph of life and rebirth. Christians show their reverence and love for the Savior by abundantly decorating pectoral crosses.
The artist Leyla Izabakarova, a daughter of famous metal artists Manaba Magomedova and Kadyr Izabakarov, grew up in Tbilisi surrounded by monuments of ancient Georgian and world cultures. Her works combine classical traditions, modern techniques and a variety of artistic solutions. She painted Madonna and Christ Child in silver enamel, her favorite painting technique, the one that shows all the sculptural and color nuances.
Little Jesus plays with a bird — it is a goldfinch, a symbol of the spirit of Christianity. Legend has it that during Jesus’ procession to Golgotha, a goldfinch sat on his crown of thorns and pulled a sharp needle out of Christ’s eyebrow. The blood spurted out and sprinkled the bird. Ever since then, goldfinches have a bright red frame around their beaks. The infant Jesus’ play with this bird refers to His tragic destiny: as an adult he would be martyred in order to atone for the sins of mankind.
Virgin Mary was portrayed by the artist as calm and restrained. With her head bowed like a flower, Mother of God looks touching and fragile, almost incorporeal. Mary is worshipped as the Queen of Heaven, which is why she is dressed in the two main monarchal colors, red and blue. In Western Christian art, Mary’s lower vestment was predominantly red, and her upper vestment was blue, as a sign that the human essence of the Virgin Mary was covered by the heavenly, divine blue. The baby Jesus is wearing a green vestment, which symbolizes life and hope. There are no halos above the heads of the Madonna and Jesus — Leyla Izabakarova wanted to show the human side of the Mother of God and her divine son.
The artist Leyla Izabakarova, a daughter of famous metal artists Manaba Magomedova and Kadyr Izabakarov, grew up in Tbilisi surrounded by monuments of ancient Georgian and world cultures. Her works combine classical traditions, modern techniques and a variety of artistic solutions. She painted Madonna and Christ Child in silver enamel, her favorite painting technique, the one that shows all the sculptural and color nuances.
Little Jesus plays with a bird — it is a goldfinch, a symbol of the spirit of Christianity. Legend has it that during Jesus’ procession to Golgotha, a goldfinch sat on his crown of thorns and pulled a sharp needle out of Christ’s eyebrow. The blood spurted out and sprinkled the bird. Ever since then, goldfinches have a bright red frame around their beaks. The infant Jesus’ play with this bird refers to His tragic destiny: as an adult he would be martyred in order to atone for the sins of mankind.
Virgin Mary was portrayed by the artist as calm and restrained. With her head bowed like a flower, Mother of God looks touching and fragile, almost incorporeal. Mary is worshipped as the Queen of Heaven, which is why she is dressed in the two main monarchal colors, red and blue. In Western Christian art, Mary’s lower vestment was predominantly red, and her upper vestment was blue, as a sign that the human essence of the Virgin Mary was covered by the heavenly, divine blue. The baby Jesus is wearing a green vestment, which symbolizes life and hope. There are no halos above the heads of the Madonna and Jesus — Leyla Izabakarova wanted to show the human side of the Mother of God and her divine son.
