The Stone Rolled Away, Empty Tomb Easter Wall Art

What is painted

A tomb has been cut into a pale limestone hillside, its dark square doorway framed by carved blocks and overhung by an olive branch. The great round stone that sealed it stands rolled to one side, leaning against the rock. Low steps and a sandy path lead up to the entrance, and nobody is there.

In the right foreground a cluster of tall white lilies opens toward the viewer. Beyond the hill, cypresses and a distant town stand against a sky just turning gold and lilac, with the sun low on the horizon. The painting has a warm, soft texture and ragged edges that fade into white. There is no text on this print.

The first Easter morning

The Gospels say that Jesus was buried in a new tomb hewn out of rock, and John adds that it lay in a garden near the place where he was crucified. A great stone was rolled against the door. Very early on the first day of the week, women came with spices, and Mark records their worry on the way: “Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?” When they looked, it was already rolled away, and Mark adds that it was very great.

An angel's words to the women are at the heart of Easter: “He is not here: for he is risen.” The stone was not moved to let Jesus out; it was moved so that his friends could see the tomb was empty.

White lilies have long been associated with Easter in Christian art and in churches, for their color and for the way they rise again from a bulb buried in the ground. The painting lets them stand in for the joy of the morning.

For Easter and every season after

Many families hang this print for Lent and Easter, above a mantel or on an entry table, and then leave it up. Because it is a landscape with no figures and no words, it works in a living room, a dining room or a bedroom and suits Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant homes alike.

It is a hopeful gift for a baptism, an Easter basket for an adult, or a family grieving someone who believed in the resurrection. This Christian poster is printed to order in the US on heavy archival matte paper, in sizes from 5x7 to 24x36, and ships unframed.