Icon "The Unfading Flower"

This highest quality hand-painted icon is done by a well-known artist Nikolay Molodkin from a dynasty of the Molodkins from the village of Mstera. Nikolay is the youngest from the three sons of famous Mstera Top 10 artist Vladimir Molodkin, whose name is mentioned in every book or publication about Mstera lacquer miniature painting. Nowadays,the works of Nikolay Molodkin are coming to be the same quality as his father, Vladimir, and a bit less complex as the works of his older brother-Denis.
The time of the appearance of this icon in Russia is unknown. It's name, "The Unfading Flower", is related with hymns dedicated 10 the Mother of God, the original miracle-working icon shows the Most Holy Theotokos with the Pre-Eteraal Infant on Her right arm, holding in Her left hand a flower of the lily symbolizing "the unfading flower of virginity of the Most Pure and All-Immaculate Virgin Mary". Sometimes roses and other flowers are painted instead of the lily. As a rule, miraculous icons of this iconographic type were locally revered and were popular over the area from the Perm Region in the Urals to the Poltava Region in the Ukraine, They have healed a great number of sick people. Feast day: April 3/16.