According to the Protoevangelium, Virgin Mary’s parents were Holy Joachim and Venerable Anna from the lineage of King David. For a long time, they had had no children, and when Anna was at the advanced age, an angel appeared in front of her in the garden and annunciated that she would soon give birth to the Virgin Mary, the Holy Mother of the Savior.

The most ancient image of the Nativity of Virgin Mary dates back to the 11th century. That fresco is located in a Roman church that was consecrated in the name of St. Mary of Egypt. Two centuries later, a canonic composition of the icon was established: the icon is supposed to consist of 4 subjects: Nativity, baptismal immersion, fondling of Mary, and Joachim watching the Nativity.

The icon that is now kept in the collection of the State Museum of Fine Arts of Khanty-Mansiysk was painted in Rostov in the 16th century. The figure of Venerable Anna on the bed is in the center of the composition. On the right side there are Anna and Joachim fondling the baby, bottom left is the baptismal immersion episode. Some buildings are depicted in the background, and the face of Joachim can be seen in one of the windows.

The icon base is a panel cut from heartwood; a special cut-back center portion of the icon panel (called ‘the artophorion’) was carved out to protect images of the Saints from damage. The panel was coated with a primer: a chalk solution with oil and glue, which made the coating strong.