Hand painted Orthodox icon on wood, "Saint Joseph of Arimathea", miniature, 7x10cm

This hand-painted Orthodox miniature icon represents Saint Joseph of Arimathea, a secret follower of Christ that removed his body from the Cross and prepared it for burial - celebrated by the Orthodox Church on July 31.

Original artwork by Ana Drăgan (DAM), painted on wood in egg tempera colours.

The holy and righteous Joseph of Arimathea was a wealthy member of the Jewish Sanhedrin and a secret follower of Christ (Matt. 27:25; John 19:38). His feast day is July 31. He is also commemorated on the Sunday of the Myrrhbearers—the third Sunday after Pascha.

Along with St. Nicodemus, St. Joseph removed Christ's body from the Cross, prepared it for burial, and placed it in his own sepulchre. Jewish spies found out about this and told their authorities, who imprisoned St. Joseph. However, the resurrected Christ appeared to St. Joseph in prison and convinced him of his Resurrection. Some time later the Jews released St. Joseph from prison and banished him from Jerusalem. He then traveled throughout the whole world preaching the Gospel, eventually sowing the seeds of salvation in Britain, where he reposed peacefully in the Lord.

- orthodoxwiki.org