Benedetto Luti

In this dramatic drawing illustrating a story from the Book of Genesis, Cain has just murdered his brother, Abel, and God, surrounded by a host of angels, descends upon him to administer his punishment of endless toil upon the earth. The drawing entered the Museum’s holdings-likely from Dr. Gustav Radeke’s collection of Old Master drawings-with an attribution to the Neapolitan Baroque painter Francesco Solimena. It is now thought to be related to a group of paintings by Solimena’s contemporary, Benedetto Luti. Many Old Master drawings went through a series of attributions until photographic and technological advances in the 20th century made it easier for scholars to compare and collaborate on attributions.