The Mandylion appears as a mythical form of Christ’s portrait in Christian culture. «Mandylion» μανδύλιον , 'cloth' or 'towel'- is borrowed from the Arabic word mandil meaning cloth or kerchief. 

It primarily refers to the famous image of Edessa, a sacred relic consisting of a cloth bearing the miraculous face of Jesus. According to the legend, King Abgar of Edessa, who suffered from an incurable disease, sent a messenger (a scribe/painter), Ananias to Jesus and asked him to come to Edessa and heal him. Instead, Jesus sent him a letter and miraculously created portrait. According to legend, the messenger could not discern Christ’s likeness, so Jesus put a cloth over his face. It is believed that cloth captured his radiance, imprinting the portrait of Christ known as an 'acheiropoietos' (not made by human hands) image. Both relics — the letter from Christ and His "Unpainted image"  — were brought to Edessa, where many healing miracles and wonders occurred. One of the most important miracles on the way to Edessa was the creation of the copy of the Mandylion – the imprint of Christ’s image on the tile, another image “not made by the human hand”, called Keramion. Thus, this story not only shows the origins of sacred art in Christian culture but also authorizes Christian images by producing a copy/ replica, thereby attaching the process of creating images to the mystery of the Incarnation itself.

The Abgar's story recounts the miracle of king’s healing and his conversion to Christianity at the end of this journey. Firstly, the Holy Face of Christ became the Palladium of Edessa, and later the Palladium of Constantinople and the entire Byzantine Empire. These most famous images gave rise to other popular 'acheiropoietos' images in the Christian tradition, such as, Kamuliana, the veil of Manapollo, the image of Veronica (Vera Icona), the Shroud of Christ, the Image of Memphis, and many more. However, the Mandylion maintains its status as the archetype of all sacred icons.

Over time, the story of the Mandylion became the most important argument used to defend the icon veneration during the period of iconoclasm. As much a relic as a work of art, the Edessa Face provided evidence against the biblical prohibition by juxtaposing pagan idols, which lacked the true archetype, with the image created by Christ himself. Thus, linking the history of the sacred images to the Apostolic Era and, in fact, to Christ himself. At the same time, turning this contact relic into the material proof of the Incarnation of Divinity. This is why the cloth plays a crucial role in the semantic significance of this image: it symbolizes the body in which Christ 'clothed' iconographically substituting the ‘missing’ body. Similarly, the symbolism of the clay alludes to the flesh of Christ. These are the image-relics embodying the main concept of the Christianity: materialization of the spirit. 

Cloth Miracle' also covers the fundamental principle of icon painting, which is to use a template and ignore the artist's personality. This enables the divine presence to act within and beyond the image, capturing the essence of the person 'imprinted' upon it. 

Nina Gamsachurdia’s Mandylions are modern mythical images, or modern pictorial myths, representing the Imago Dei – the likeness and image of God in man. It attempts to capture the model's inner world, soul and essence by depicting their facial likeness. 

The creation of the object is the result of a collaborative process involving the artist and the model. Over time, the model's imprint on the fabric transforms into the original sculpture. To the viewer, the Mandylion is not just a work of art; it also embodies and brings to life the 'other', the person herself and her inner world. Based on the concept of the seal and imprint, Mandylion recapitulates the miraculous union of spirit and flesh (Herbert Kessler). The cloth image is transformed into a volumetric, dynamic sculpture with a dual nature: it conveys a sense of concreteness, such as facial likeness and emotions, while simultaneously symbolizing eternity through its hardened shape and structure.

In the concept of the modern Mandylion 21, the use of precious materials is of crucial importance: marble, gold leaf, white gold, platinum, silver and color pigments made from gemstones and precious minerals, such as lapis lazuli, han purple, onyx, jade, jasper and porphyry; material valued for their substantiality and even earthliness. The use of them could also be justified by Biblical texts; They attract the gaze and convey the sacredness. 
The modern Mandylion carries on transcultural traditions, tracing the historical path of the archetypal Mandylion through time and space. It is painted just like the Egyptian sarcophagi, Babylonian god’s statues and Indian mandala cloths. Through this universal aesthetic and symbolism. Nina Gamsachurdia extends the temporal arc from ancient Egyptian and Byzantine iconography to the distant future.  She modernizes the painting technique that will endure until the need for sacred art ceases to exist.