Important & Rare 18th Century Icon

This is an extremely rare and important early portrait of a religious figure / Icon. I am unsure of the country of origin and the artist but I would date this to the mid part of the 18th century. It is executed in oils on panel and as you can see from the back of the work it has a brace to keep help the work to keep from warping. There are some condition issues with the paint surface especially on the right side but in my opinion it is part of its history and story. The size is 7x5 inches which would suggest it was for private devotion in the times of religious bigotry. I could very easily see this work in a museum given its rarity