03 — ARTWORK
Cain Killing Abel
- MEDIUM
- Woodcut, 305 x 226 mm
- TYPE
- Religious
PALETTE
HOVER OR TAP A SWATCH FOR NAME, SHARE AND HEX. SAMPLED FROM THE IMAGE — INDICATIVE, NOT A PIGMENT ANALYSIS.
THIS REPRODUCTION
DOWNLOAD THE FULL FILE ↓
CURRENT LOCATION · British Museum
- FILE
- 686 × 900 px · JPEG
COMMENTARY
UNDERLINED TERMS ARE DEFINED IN THE GLOSSARY.
The design of this image can clearly be attributed to Jan Gossart. A skilled unknown woodblock cutter carried out the work after the artist's design, which was probably drawn directly onto the block of wood.
Cain and Abel is Gossart's largest and most striking printed image. He attempted to rival Dürer's large woodcutA print made from a wood block. The design is drawn on a smooth block of wood and then cut out, leaving the design standing up in relief the design to be printed. The person who carved the woodcut often worked to a design by another artist. <a onclick="return OpenOther('/html/d/durer/2/12/1_1500/11samson.html')" href="/html/d/durer/2/12/1_1500/11samson.html">Samson Killing the Lion.</a> The print is also closed to Lucas van Leyden's <a onclick="return OpenOther('/html/l/leyden/2/cain1.html')" href="/html/l/leyden/2/cain1.html">etching</a> and <a onclick="return OpenOther('/html/l/leyden/2/cain2.html')" href="/html/l/leyden/2/cain2.html">engravingA print made from a metal plate that has had a design cut into it with a sharp point. Ink is smeared over the plate and then wiped off, the ink remaining in the etched lines being transferred when the plate is pressed very firmly onto a sheet of paper.</a> of the theme Cain Killing Abel.
OTHER WORKS BY JAN GOSSART
CITE THIS RECORD — BIBTEX
@online{wga-r73040867dc2cd5,
author = {Krén, Emil and Marx, Daniel},
title = {Cain Killing Abel by GOSSART, Jan},
organization = {{Web Gallery of Art}},
date = {2026-09-13},
url = {https://beta.wga.hu/artists/gossart-jan-r3dc6e56b5e425a/cain-killing-abel-r73040867dc2cd5},
urldate = {2026-09-13},
langid = {english}
}ACCESSED 2026-09-13. REPLACE THE AUTHOR FIELD WITH THE COMMENTARY AUTHOR WHERE ONE IS NAMED.