Artist Statement: This 19th century wood carved icon of Mother Mary and child Jesus is rare in both content and design. Most icons feature the Virgin Mary and Jesus as an infant rather than as a child. And most icons are two dimensional painted on wood rather than three dimensional wood carved. The icon, from the Greek word for image, is a particular type of church art which is found in many expressions of Christian spirituality. They portray only religious themes--The Trinity, angels, sacred events, the transfigured humanity of Jesus, the Mother Mary, and saints. They are found in churches, at wayside shrines, and in homes; they are used for liturgy or as a visual aid for private devotion and worship. Icons of the sacred not only enhance the beauty of the church or home, they also set an atmosphere for prayer. And, by contemplating the holiness of the person represented in the icon, one can experience the presence of God and be challenged to imitate them.
Mary appears by name in the Synoptic Gospels and in the book of Acts. Mary is mentioned by name in the genealogy of Jesus, in the annunciation, in Mary's visit with Elizabeth, in the birth of Jesus, in the visit of the wise men, in Jesus' presentation in the temple, and in the Nazarene's rejection of Jesus. In Acts, she is referred to as "Mary, the mother of Jesus" (Acts 1:14), where she participates in the community of believers and prays with the apostles. The Gospel of John refers to the "mother of Jesus" in the account of the wedding at Cana (John 2:1–11) and standing near the cross at the crucifixion (John 19:25–27). Luke contains the most references to Mary and places the greatest emphasis on her role in God's plan. The Gospels make it clear that Mary was willing to submit her life to God's plan no matter what it would cost her.