Jan Lievens 1607 – 1674

Cain kills Abel

woodcarving (42 × 32 cm) — c. 1640 Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Jan Lievens biography

This work is linked to Genesis 4:8

Cain was jealous of his brother Abel because God had accepted Abel's sacrifice and rejected Cain's. Out of anger he killed Abel.

Abel leans on his bended right arm and uses his left arm in an effort to stop his brother.

This print was made when Lievens lived in Antwerp, from 1635 to 1644. In Antwerp prints were popular among artists and buyers, so Lievens decided to pick up the skill he had ignored while in London (1633-35). He even learned a new technique: the woodcut.

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