Cain bends over the dead Abel; Cain flees in the background. Etching by F. Hortemels, 1729, after A. Sacchi.

Bible. O.T. Genesis 4. A sacrificial block is seen to the left, next to which Cain is fleeing to the east in a gesture of terror at God's edict that he will have to live with his guilt, instead of being struck down. A serpent's tail curls by the body of Abel, whose clothing has fallen off, suggesting the contrast between Abel's innocence and Cain's corruption