The Draped Cross, Easter Christian Wall Art

What is painted

The cross is simple, two rough timbers of weathered wood with visible grain. A length of white linen hangs over one arm of the crossbeam and falls in soft folds down the side. At the base, among a few pale stones, white lilies open upward with sprays of small white blossoms and fresh sage-green leaves.

The background is a very light, warm wash, almost pure paper, so the white of the linen and the flowers glows. There is no lettering on it. The mood is spring, fresh air and quiet joy.

Why the cross is draped in white

In many churches the cross is veiled or draped in purple during Lent, as a sign of penitence, and sometimes in black on Good Friday. On Easter Sunday the cloth changes to white, the color of the resurrection, and flowers are placed around it. Some congregations even invite people to bring flowers and fix them to a wooden cross on Easter morning.

The white linen also recalls the Gospel. When Peter and John ran to the tomb, John says they saw the linen clothes lying there, and the napkin that had been about his head folded in a place by itself (John 20:6-7). The cloth left behind is the sign that the body is gone and the Lord is risen.

White lilies have long been the flowers of Easter, their trumpet shape and their bulb, buried in the ground before it blooms, making them a natural picture of new life.

For Easter, and for remembrance

This piece brightens a living room, a dining room or an entry during Lent and Eastertide, yet its colors are soft enough to leave up all year. It is often chosen for a memorial or sent as a sympathy gift, since the empty cross and the lilies speak of hope beyond the grave. It also suits a baptism or a confirmation in spring, and it is a gentle way to keep Easter present in a room long after the chocolate eggs are gone.

This Christian poster is printed to order in the United States on thick archival matte paper and ships free to US addresses. It comes without a frame, with a white paper margin, in sizes from 5x7 to 24x36 plus A and metric sizes, and as a digital download.