Cain Slaying Abel

This painting is an early work by Bartolomeo Manfredi, in which he emulates Caravaggio in the supression of secondary details in order to achieve an effect of timelessness. The murder by the envious brother could be taking place in ancient history or in the Roman countryside. despite its simplicity, this Cain and Abel by Manfredi soon attracted the attention of distinguished collectors outside of Italy. By 1651 the painting had entered the famous collection of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm in Brussels, where it was prominently displayed in the midst of Renaissance paintings by Titian and others, as seen in David Teniers the Younger's painting of the picture gallery.