The procession of the blessed women is led by the Three Kings who, kneeling in the rite of proskynesis – typical of Byzantine courts and reserved to emperors – pay homage to the enthroned Virgin with the child. The blessing Virgin wears the maphorion and a purple mantle. She holds the infant Christ on her knees, seated on a throne richly decorated with pearls and precious gems, with her feet resting on a suppedaneum.
This precious and regal representation of Mary as Theotokos, Mother of Jesus, originated in Constantinople. It spread from the East throughout the Mediterranean, mainly through the circulation of diptychs, icons and silverware. A coeval mosaic from the 6th century can be seen today in the apse of the Euphrasian Basilica in Poreč, Croatia.