THE BLACK MADONNA OF BRNO

Moravia, 18th - 19th century
Oil on canvas, 50,5x90 cm (66,5x105,5 cm).. Ornamental halos with crowns and the initials of the Virgin Mary are embossed in the gilded background. Florentine frame. This icon, based on the famous Gothic painting of the Madonna of St. Thomas, depicts a half-length figure of the Virgin Mary Hodegetria in a dark mantle, with her head covered by a maphorion, adorned with a lozenge-shaped clasp at the neck. She holds the seated Baby Jesus on her left arm, who blesses with His right hand and holds the Book of Law (instead of a scroll) in His left. Export certificate for a cultural property issued by the National Heritage Institute, Brno, 2025.