Pelagonitissa

The Pelagonitissa (also known as "The Virgin with the Playing Child") is a type of depiction of the Virgin Mary (often in icons) in which the Virgin holds an infant Jesus in an abrupt movement, his head back and grabbing onto her.

[1] Pelagonitissa was developed in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries in the Byzantine Empire, particularly in Macedonia.

The name Pelagonitissa refers to the city of Bitola, previously known as Pelagonia.

[1] Pelagonitissa is often seen as a variant of the Eleusa icon in which the infant Jesus rests.

[1] One of the best-known examples is in the Church of St. George, Staro Nagoričane, restored by the Serbian king Milutin in the 13th century.