Sacrificio di Caino e Abele

This panel depicting the Sacrifice of Cain and Abel was painted by Lorenzo Lotto in 1524 as part of a series of Old Testament scenes created as intarsia designs for the wooden choir stalls of Santa Maria Maggiore in Bergamo. Lotto spent over a decade designing these remarkable marquetry panels, which rank among the most ambitious inlaid wood projects of the Renaissance. The scene captures the pivotal moment when God accepts Abel's offering while rejecting Cain's, foreshadowing the first murder. These designs demonstrate Lotto's narrative inventiveness and his ability to create powerful compositions adapted to the demanding constraints of wood inlay technique.

Lotto designed this composition with bold, simplified forms and strong contrasts suited to translation into wooden intarsia. The figures are rendered with dramatic gestures and clear silhouettes, while the landscape backdrop provides spatial depth through layered planes.