Italian School. 17th century. 'Cain murders his brother Abel' Oil on canvas. 204 x 147 cm.   With the tenebrism of Caravaggio, characteristic of the 17th century — strong contrasts of light and shadow used to heighten drama — this powerful painting depicts the two biblical brothers from Genesis, chapter 4: Cain and Abel. An enraged and jealous farmer commits fratricide against a shepherd favored by God, who accepts his offering of the firstlings of the flock (the burning altar to the right symbolizes this divine acceptance), in contrast to Cain’s rejected offering of the fruits of the earth. The expressive power of the faces, particularly that of Abel in his skillfully foreshortened pose, recalls the works of Giuseppe Diamantini (1621–1705). In a nearly neutral landscape, the blazing pyre stands out — the divine fire from which Cain cannot and will not escape, under the watchful gaze of God. The painting dramatizes the murder of Abel: Cain, towering and muscular, raises a wooden club (not the ass’s jawbone of biblical lore) to strike and kill his brother. The intense light focuses on the two figures, revealing the brutal immediacy of the act. The artist captures with mastery the emotional and physical tension — Cain, dark-skinned and dark-haired, embodies the strength and rage of the firstborn of Adam and Eve: his furrowed brow and clenched jaw personify unbridled envy and the primal violence of brother against brother. Abel, fair and youthful, lies on the ground, terrified, his arms raised in futile defense, his pale face turned toward us in a silent plea for help — a life overturned in an instant. This theme was a favorite in medieval and Baroque art, valued for its iconographic drama and moral message — the contrast between true and false offerings, the sin of envy, and humanity’s first murder. It also serves as a prefiguration of Christ’s martyrdom, the innocent slain by the sinful. A work of great theatrical and emotional impact, impressive not only for its composition but also for its large format, it presents two brothers of striking symbolic weight: Cain, the first born; Abel, the first to die — the archetype of fratricide, rendered here with haunting intensity and moral gravity.