Antique Polish Marian Icon – “Pod Twoją Obronę” Painted icon on wood, gilt background, crowned figures. The faces and the hands are beautiful impressions. A beautiful and atmospheric religious icon depicting the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child, executed in the Eastern Christian icon tradition and originating from Poland. The icon features a richly gilded background with engraved ornamental patterns and applied metal crowns (riza-style decoration), adorned with colored glass or enamel accents. Both figures are crowned, emphasizing their royal and sacred status, a characteristic element of Polish and Eastern European Marian iconography. At the bottom of the icon appears the Polish inscription: “Pod Twoją Obronę uciekamy się” (“Under your protection we take refuge”) This is the opening line of one of the oldest Marian prayers (Sub tuum praesidium), widely used in Poland and traditionally associated with protection and devotion.