Cain stands over the kneeling figure of his brother Abel, wielding a (now missing) jaw bone in his raise right hand, his left hand holding Abel's head (Genesis 4, v. 8). Both figures are semi-nude, wearing only loincloths. Abel's feet overlap the integral base, as does Cain's left foot. The two figures are in Leonhard Kern's typically stocky style, and indeed - although it does not depict the same subject - the group compares closely with his representations of The Sacrifice of Isaac, including the example in the V&A's collection (Museum no. A.1-1953). It is difficult to give any reasons for a specific dating; it is likely to date from c.1620-45.
