The first known images depicting the Nativity of Christ are dated to the 3rd–4th centuries. They were painted on the walls of the Roman catacombs and show only the figures of the Mother of God, the Virgin and the Magi. Over time, the composition became more complex and multi-figured and generally developed by the 7th century.

The central place on the icon is occupied by the Mother of God, holding the Baby in her arms. In early icons, it was customary to depict her sitting: such a pose testified to the wonderful painless birth. In later versions, the Virgin reclines on her bed. The icon painter who created this image follows the ancient tradition.

The righteous Joseph, immersed in thoughts, is depicted behind Mary’s back. A large group on the left side includes the Magi and shepherds who came at the call of the Star of Bethlehem, as well as an ox and a donkey. The kneeling Magi bring symbolic gifts to the God-Child. The first gift is gold as a tribute to the “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (Rev. 19:16). The second one they bring, saying

Frankincense — an aromatic resin used in church incense. Lastly, they bring myrrh — an incense with which the Jews used to anoint the dead — to Jesus as an innocent Martyr.

The shepherds wait for their turn to worship the Savior. The ox and the donkey in the Nativity scene can be considered a historical detail (the Virgin Mary rode on the donkey, the ox was taken for sale) and as the embodiment of the prophecy of Isaiah:

In the clouds above the cave, two angels support the ribbon and two sing glory to the Savior who has been born. Between them is the shining Star of Bethlehem. Angels began to appear on Nativity icons in the 8th–9th centuries.

In the foreground, the Holy Family faces the chosen saints and virtuous pagans.

The depiction of the cave on the icon has many meanings. This is a real cave in which the Savior was born, a symbol of the dark earthly world into which the light of Christ came, and an allegorical image of Mary’s womb. The throne on which the Mother of God sits emphasizes the royal dignity of her and the Baby Jesus.

The bright light color palette reflects the joy and solemnity of the event.

The icon comes from the bottom tier of the iconostasis in the Chapel of St. Antipas of Pergamum in the Nativity Church in Balakhna, which formerly belonged to a 16th–century convent. In 1991, the icon was restored.