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The Temptation, Cain killing Abel and the Sacrifice of Abraham
Maker: Unknown
Discoloured white silk, beadwork embroidery. Adam and Eve and other pictorial motifs.
History note: Unknown before Louis Colville Grey Clarke (1881-1960) by whom given
Given by Louis Colville Gray Clarke
Method of acquisition: Given (1945-07-24) by Clarke, Louis Colville Gray
17th Century, Early-Mid
Circa
1625
-
1675
Label text from the exhibition ‘Feast and Fast: The Art of Food in Europe, 1500–1800’, on display at The Fitzwilliam Museum from 26 November 2019 until 31 August 2020: There are complex theological messages related to food from Genesis (the Bible’s first book) in this colourful beadwork panel. On the left, the presence of a unicorn and a mermaid suggests that this is paradise or the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve stand either side of the Tree of Knowledge, having disobeyed God and sinned against him by eating its forbidden fruit. The resulting punishment was expulsion from Eden, condemning humankind to toil for food evermore. On the right, two scenes focus on food sacrifices. Below, Cain (an arable farmer) has just murdered his younger brother Abel (a shepherd), in a fit of jealousy because God preferred Abel’s sacrifice of lambs to his grain offering. Above, Abraham, commanded to sacrifice his son, Isaac, to God as a test of his faith, is saved from having to do so by the divine provisioning of a ram, which he sacrifices instead. While glorifying God’s creation, this panel was also a reminder of ‘the dark side of food’ as a dangerous gateway to sinful acts, and possible damnation.
white Silk
Accession number: T.20-1945
Primary reference Number: 221620
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Applied Arts
This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "The Temptation, Cain killing Abel and the Sacrifice of Abraham" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/221620 Accessed: 2024-11-04 18:22:03
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{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/221620
|title=The Temptation, Cain killing Abel and the Sacrifice of Abraham
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-04 18:22:03|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
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<figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">The Temptation, Cain killing Abel and the Sacrifice of Abraham</figcaption>
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