Cain Having Killed His Brother Abel, Marble statue in Tuileries Garden, France.
Cain Having Killed His Brother Abel is a marble statue standing nearly 2 meters tall that depicts a man overwhelmed by remorse in a moment of emotional turmoil. The work occupies a permanent place in the Tuileries Garden, showing the human response to a terrible act.
Henri Vidal's plaster of Cain Having Killed His Brother Abel won the Prix de Rome in 1881, and a marble version was placed in the Tuileries Garden in 1982. The figure of Cain, crouched and twisting with his hands to his head, was cast in bronze by the city of Paris in 1894.
The marble figure tells a biblical story that people have known for centuries, standing openly in the garden for anyone to encounter. It serves as a quiet reminder of how guilt and consequences shape human actions.
The marble figure stands in the freely accessible Tuileries Garden and can be visited any day of the week without restriction. Pathways through the garden are easy to navigate on foot, and the work sits in its permanent location among trees and other sculptures.
The statue was placed in the Tuileries in 1982, a century after Henri Vidal modelled it; the original plaster was shown at the 1894 Salon. Look for the mark of the chisel on the clenched hand and the twisted torso, details that show how Vidal built the figure's tension.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,390 contributors worldwide.
