The Easter Banner
Christ’s victory over death: a white banner with a red cross, carried by the Risen Christ and by the Lamb of God.
An army carried its standard home from a victory. Artists gave the Risen Christ a standard of his own, a white banner with a red cross, rising from the tomb on Easter morning.
Easter. The Easter sequence, sung at Mass on Easter Sunday, says: “Death and life have contended in that combat stupendous: the Prince of life, who died, reigns immortal.”
The Lamb of God. The Lamb is often shown with the same banner: the Lamb that was slain and is alive (Revelation 5:6). St John the Baptist carries a reed cross with a banner reading Ecce Agnus Dei, “Behold the Lamb of God.”
St Thomas. In our “My Lord and my God” group, the Risen Christ holds the banner while he shows Thomas his wounds.
Also called: the banner of the Resurrection; the banner of victory
Where you’ll see it
In their hands
All symbols →
The Orb
The whole world under Christ’s rule, often shown with a cross on top.
The Carpenter’s Square
St Joseph’s trade, and the holiness of honest work.
The Scales
The weighing of souls at the Last Judgement, a task given in art to St Michael.
The Rosary
Prayer to Mary while meditating on the life of Christ; Our Lady carried it at Lourdes and asked for it daily at Fatima.
The Crucifix
In a saint’s hands, a life given to Christ crucified: the missionary who preached him, the penitent who prayed before him.
The Book
The Gospel the saint preached, the rule they wrote, or the learning they gave to the Church.
A statue with the Easter banner?
Every statue is made from scratch in our studio in Mangalore.