Powerful portrayals of a young woman as the Mother of Christ are widely evoked in literature, music, and the visual arts throughout the Christian world. The cult of the Virgin Mary started in the fourth century. By the thirteenth century, adoration of Mary had become as popular as that of Jesus Christ, and she was venerated with many different titles.

While both the Catholic and Orthodox faithful believe that images of Mary can work miracles, there are noticeable differences in how she is depicted. The Catholic Church depicts the Virgin Mary in a variety of styles that elicit an emotional response, blending together art, theology, and spirituality; the Western tradition also displays great variety and range of individual artistic expression. The Orthodox Church favors a more symbolic and stylized representation, using multiple perspectives to reinforce theological messages. The themes are consistently reproduced but artists may employ slight and subtle variations.

Despite their differences, close examination of the icons and retablos will reveal a similar iconographic vocabulary, indicating that they both evolved from the art of the early Christian church.