Byzantine Madonna Icon, Our Lady of Roses, Mary and Jesus Icon with Stand, 9 in New Attic no returns

The Unfading Rose: a Byzantine Madonna Icon in Relief

This Byzantine Madonna icon shows Mary in a teal mantle patterned with raised flowers. Her green robe is edged in gold. A crown sits above her veil, framed by a gold halo.

The crowned Christ child stands beside her in a coral-pink robe and holds a scepter. Mary carries a spray of red roses. Two small angels in red and blue hover above, and a gold border frames the cream stone ground.

Product Details

• Material: Resin and stone with hand-painted color details
• Finish: Antique stone
• Dimensions: 9 in H x 6.5 in W x 0.5 in D
• Weight: 2.6 lbs
• Includes: Black stand and description card
• Display: Stand on a desk, or hang with the back bracket
• Product number: R-018SP

Reading the Inscriptions

The banner above Mary carries a Greek phrase, Rodon to Amaranton. It means the Unfading Rose. The words echo a hymn to Mary sung in the Orthodox Church.

Three small medallions name the sitters. The letters MP and TH Y abbreviate Mother of God. IC XC abbreviates Jesus Christ. Painters wrote these letters on every icon, because a holy image had to be named to be valid.

A scroll at the lower left holds more Greek text. The title Our Lady of Roses is a Western name for this same Greek type.

Why a Rose That Never Fades

In this type, the rose stands for Mary herself. She is the flower that bloomed without withering, and her son is the fruit. Earlier icons often show Mary pointing toward Christ. Here she holds the blossom, and the child stands upright like a small emperor.

The crowns, the scepter and the silver orb at Mary's breast are all signs of rule. The angels in the upper corners serve as court attendants.

Such an Unfading Rose icon rewards slow looking. Follow the red of the roses down to the child's robe. The two colors answer each other.

The Byzantine Icon Tradition

The Council of Ephesus in 431 confirmed Mary as Theotokos, the God-bearer. Images of the Virgin and Child icon then spread across the Byzantine world. After the long dispute over images ended in 843, painters kept to inherited patterns on purpose.

A familiar look was proof that an image was faithful. Greek painters later carried the Unfading Rose type into the post-Byzantine era, and Russian painters adopted it too.

Where to Place It

At 9 in tall, this Byzantine Madonna icon suits a bedside table, a bookshelf or a quiet corner. The bracket on the back lets you hang it. See more sacred images in our Christianity, Angels and Crosses collection.

Keep it out of direct sun, because strong light can fade painted color over time. The description card explains the image for guests who are new to icons.

For More Reading from the Web

• See how Byzantine devotion to the Mother of God took shape after Ephesus: The Cult of the Virgin Mary in the Middle Ages - The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Learn why icon painters repeated established types on purpose: Spotlight on the Virgin Hodegetria - Smarthistory
• Read how the Unfading Rose type draws on the hymns of the Akathist: The Unfading Bloom Icon in Russian and Greek Iconography - Obitel Minsk