Kaïn en Abel als landbouwer en herder c. 1645 - 1740

This engraving, by Christoffel van Sichem II, depicts Cain and Abel as farmer and shepherd. It presents a seemingly simple scene, yet it is laden with profound symbolism. Cain toils, his brow furrowed, as he plows the earth, while Abel tends his flock of sheep. Here, the contrast between agriculture and pastoral life is not merely economic, but moral. Cain, bound to the earth, represents a more earthly, material existence; Abel, surrounded by his flock, embodies purity and divine favor. This distinction is not merely visual but speaks to an inherent tension between the tangible and the spiritual. Think of the shepherd as a recurring motif throughout history, from ancient Mesopotamia to the Christian Gospels, where Christ himself is the Good Shepherd. These archetypes carry within them a collective memory, an echo of humanity's enduring quest for meaning and connection to the divine. Each representation reshapes, yet retains, the primal essence of its predecessors. This is the cyclical nature of the image, and its journey through time.