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Cain

by 1883
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 774
Little is known about Connor's career. Among the only published records of the sculptor appears to be an unidentified New York newspaper article written in 1883 by C. Edwards Lester shortly after this bust of Cain entered the Metropolitan's collection. Lester stated that this depiction of Cain was "intended to represent the feelings of the first human murderer as he became fully conscious of his terrible crime and had been banished from the blighted home of his father and mother, leaving behind him the bruised body of his slain brother." By the very nature of its highly individualized features, "Cain" may be a physiognomic study of a terrified person. This marble is the only located work by Connor, although Lester cited three others in his article.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Cain
  • Artist: James Stanley Connor (American, ca. 1857–1904)
  • Date: by 1883
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Marble
  • Dimensions: 26 x 21 1/2 x 17 in. (66 x 54.6 x 43.2 cm)
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. John Anderson, 1883
  • Object Number: 83.3
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

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