Main Bead Embroidery Kit Icon of the Mother of God «The Unfading Blossom»

The icon of the Mother of God “The Unfading Blossom” shows the Mother holding the Child and a spray of white lilies in her left hand. That flowering branch is what gives the image its name.

What the picture shows

The Mother of God wears a blue maphorion with a gold edging, a green dress with a red insert at the neck showing beneath it; the Child is dressed in orange ochre with light blue. Both halos are stitched in gold beads, and the pale ground carries a raised plant pattern that is likewise worked entirely in beadwork. White lilies with long green leaves rise in her left hand, and a few more blooms are scattered below, on either side of the inscription. The border is made of red and white elements with floral motifs at the corners, and a panel at the bottom holds a beaded Church Slavonic inscription. The faces and hands stay as print on the canvas, so the beads frame them without covering the features. The lilies, the green leaves and the pale ground make this the lightest image in the group.

What is in the kit

• Artist canvas with the full-colour pattern printed on it — no chart to follow on a screen
• Czech Preciosa beads, 19 colours
• Beading needles
• Instructions and finishing guide

Specifications

• Finished size: 190×250 mm (7.5×9.8 in)
• Beads: approx. 7,669
• Bead colours: 19
• Difficulty: medium
• Base: artist canvas

The piece is vertical and small, with a noticeably lighter palette than most icons. Gallery finishing is possible — the canvas stretches over a bar and hangs with no frame or mount.