Adam and Eve Lamenting over the Corpse of Abel

An elderly, bearded Adam and a distressed Eve kneel beside the limp body of Abel under a large, gnarled tree. In the background, small scenes depict the preceding events: the brothers offering sacrifices on altars and Cain attacking Abel with a jawbone. The engraving uses dramatic shadows and muscular, elongated figures to emphasize the tragedy of the first human death.

This scene represents the arrival of mortality and the corruption of the material world, a central theme in the 'Fall of Man' narrative analyzed by Christian Kabbalists and Neoplatonists. In esoteric traditions, the conflict between Cain and Abel often symbolizes the struggle between the earthly/material soul and the spiritual/sacrificial soul.