There is no other subject in Christian iconography, exclusive of the Savior, that has been painted so often and with so much love, as the image of the Most Holy Theotokos. Iconographers of all times have tried to impart to the face of Theotokos as much beauty, gentleness, dignity and grandeur as they could imagine.
Russian icons always show the Mother of God grieving. This grief is sometimes sorrowful, sometimes it is full of light, but it is always filled with wisdom and spiritual strength. The Theotokos, whether She reveals her Son gloriously to the world, or tenderly clasps Him to herself, or simply forms a background, is always full of awe of her Divine Infant and humbled before the inevitability of His sacrifice.
As befits a married woman, the Most Pure Lady is always shown with her head covered with a veil which, following tradition for Jewish women of that time, drops to her shoulders. Her veil or head covering, called "maphorion" in Greek, is usually colored red (a symbol of suffering and a reminder of her royal roots). Her inner garment is blue, symbolizing the heavenly purity of the Theotokos, the most perfect of humans. Another important piece of the Theotokos's attire are Her cuffs. Cuffs are among the vestments worn by priests. When depicted on icons, they symbolize the co-ministry of the entire Church, in the person of the Mother of God, and Christ, the High Priest.
Usually, three golden stars are depicted on the Most-holy Theotokos: on the forehead and on the shoulders. Similar decorations, made of metal, were popular representations in olden-times. Those stars symbolize Her ever-virginity: She was a virgin before, during, and after the Nativity of Christ. The three stars also symbolize the Holy Trinity. Some of the icons show only two stars, while the third is covered by the figure of the Christ Child. This signifies the incarnation of the second hypostasis of the Holy Trinity - God, the Word.
There exist five principal types of representations of the Theotokos:
This type of image of Theotokos was already evident in the catacombs of the
first Christians. The Theotokos is depicted on these icons en face and to the
waist, with her hands lifted up to the level of her head, with elbows bent. From
time immemorial this gesture has signified a prayerful appeal to God. Christ,
the Savior Emmanuel is often depicted, standing on a circular background, on Her
bosom.
Icons of this type are also called "Oranta" (Latin for "praying") and "Panagia" (Greek for "All-holy"). In the Russian land, this image acquired the name "Our Lady of the Sign." Here is how that happened. On November 27, 1165 in the midst of the assault on the city of Novgorod by the forces of Prince Andrew of Bogolubovo, the citizens of the besieged town brought the Icon to the city wall. One of the arrows pierced the icon and the Most Holy Mother of God turned her face to the city and shed tears. The tears dropped on the phelonion of Bishop John of Novgorod, who exclaimed: " O wonder of wonders! How can tears be streaming from dry wood! O Queen! You are giving us a sign that you are entreating your Son that the city be spared." Inspired by the wonderful sign, the people of Novgorod repelled the attacks of the Suzdal forces.
Traditionally, in an Orthodox church, this type of icon would be found in the upper part of the Altar.
This icon shows the Mother of God with her right hand pointing at the Child
Christ, Who is seated on her left arm. The images have regular features, faces
are serious, the head of Christ and that of the Most-pure Virgin do not touch.
It is as if the Theotokos is saying to the human race that the true path is the path to Christ. This icon shows the Theotokos as a guide, an indicator of the path, to God and salvation. This is also one of the most ancient types of icons depicting the Theotokos and is believed to have originated with the first iconographer, the Evangelist Luke. The best known icons of this type in Russia are "Our Lady of Smolensk", "Our Lady of Tikhvin", and "Our Lady of Iveron".
The icons of the "Tender Mercy" type show Christ Child pressing his
left cheek against His mother's right cheek. Here the Theotokos again represents
the Church of Christ, displaying the fullness of love between God and man, a
love that can only be achieved within the bosom of the Church, our Mother. Love
here bridges heaven and earth, the things of God and the things of man; this
union is expressed in the touching of the faces and the halos.
The Theotokos is pensive, as she presses her Son to herself. She envisions His way of the cross, His life full of sufferings. Among the icons of this type, "Our Lady of Vladimir" is the one most widely known and loved by the faithful. It is no accident that this very icon has become one of the greatest of Russia's holy objects. There are several reasons for this, including its ancient origin, its attribution to the Evangelist Luke, and the numerous events related to its transfer from Kiev to Vladimir and later to Moscow, as well as the multiple instances of the delivery of Moscow from the plundering raids of the Mongol hordes. However, the very type of representation - the "Tenderness" Mother of Godcharacter evoked a positive response in the hearts of the Russian people. The concept of sacrificial service for the people has always been one that could be understood by, and was near and dear to, the Russians. The great grief felt by the Theotokos, who had brought her Son into this world of cruelty and sufferings, and her pain were very much in keeping with the innermost feelings of the Russian people.
All icons of this type share one feature in common: the Mother of God is
depicted sitting on a throne. She holds the Christ Child on her lap. The throne
symbolizes the royal glory of the Theotokos, who alone is perfect among those
born on earth.
The best known icons of this type in Russia are the "Reigning" and "Queen of All" icons.
The icons of this type show a full-length depiction of the Theotokos, without the Child, and turned to the right, sometimes holding a scroll. In Orthodox churches, this icon occupies a place of honor, to the left of the icon "Our Savior in Powers", the main icon of the iconostasis.
(translated from the website http://www.orthodoxworld.ru)