Two-sided icon

This icon depicts on one side the Virgin Hodighitria[1], and on the other the Baptism of Christ. The figure of the Virgin fills almost the entire surface of the panel; she extends her right hand toward the Child she holds on her right arm. The latter holds in his left hand the scroll of the Scriptures and with his left hand is making the sign of the benediction. In the medallions in the upper corners, two angel depicted from the waist up lean toward the Virgin.

On the back side of the icon, a completely naked Christ receives baptism. On his right, Saint John the Baptist gazes at the dove descending from the celestial half circle; he is resting one hand on the head of Christ to baptise him, and with the other makes the sign of intercession. To the left of Jesus are six Protoctist angels. King David, positioned on the upper left, holds a parchment on which are written in Arabic excerpts of psalms, and on the right, the prophet Isaiah holds a speech scroll bearing an inscription in Syriac, also excerpts of psalms. On the bottom left, an old man crouches, holding an amphora, symbol of Jordan. The title of the icon, "The Baptism", is written in Greek in the  upper centre of he icon. The titles of the figures are also indicated in Greek.

Other two-sided icons dating from the fourteenth century exist, such as the ones in the collection of the Byzantine Museum of Athens, and the icon of the Monastery of Chalke in Istanbul. However, the date of the icon of Kaftoun is the object of diverging interpretations. All the researchers seem to agree to attribute "The Baptism of Christ" to the thirteenth century, noting in particular that the presence of several languages in the same scene is a known occurrence in mural paintings of the thirteenth century in the Syro-Lebanese region.  However, the dating of the Virgin is more uncertain. Some also attribute it to the thirteenth century due to certain particular stylistic elements, such as her traits and colouring, which would associate the icon to Byzantine art developed in the Oriental Mediterranean at the time of the Crusaders, and in particular to the Cypriot icons.

An earlier date was proposed after analysis of the decoration in relief of its frame, made of medallions containing motifs of mythological animals such as the Simurgh, a winged creature with the head of a dog,  clawed feet and the tail of a peacock, of Sassanid origin and integrated in Islamic art. These animal figures would denote a Seljukide influence and would therefore speak in favour the icon being attributed to eleventh or twelfth century Anatolia. By comparing the icon of Kaftoun to a mosaic icon dated around 1065, some researchers have also established a stylistic affinity with the Byzantine pictorial art of the beginning of the Komnenos Dynasty (1081-1185).

The votive inscription in Arabic, engraved on the metallic covering of the haloes, indicates that the icon was offered as waqf to the monastery of Our Lady of Kaftoun in 1804.