Cain and Abel: The Sacrifice and the Murder

Salerno or Amalfi (comes from the Cathedral of Salerno), circa 1384
Ivory
The Louvre, Paris

God's hand reaching toward Abel's lamb signifies that it is Abel's sacrifice, not Cain's, that is accepted. As usual, Cain's sacrifice is represented as a sheaf of wheat. On the right, Cain strangles his brother to death; many other images have him using a weapon such as an axe or club. On the far right, God curses Cain for what he did.

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Photographed at the site by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.