Cleveland Museum of Art

The Story of Adam, peace upon him, his Sons and Progeny, from a Jami al-tavarikh (Compendium of Chronicles) of Rashid al-din (verso)

Date

c. 1425

Medium

opaque watercolor and ink on paper

Culture

Afghanistan, Herat, Timurid period (1370–1501)

Department

Islamic Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This illustrated page from a history book depicts a scene from the narrative of Adam and Eve, expanding on the story as it is recorded in the Qur'an. According to the text, among Eve’s many children were two sets of twins: Cain and his sister Iqlima, and Abel and his sister Labuda. When Cain objected to Adam’s decision that Iqlima should marry Abel, Adam decreed that the brothers should settle the matter by making sacrificial offerings. A divine fire in the form of a bird appeared and chose Abel’s offering of a good lamb over Cain’s offering of bad wheat. Cain then vowed to kill Abel, and proceeded to commit fratricide.

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