Le Ravissement d'Élie

The prophet Elijah’s ascension to heaven in a chariot of fire was a rare Old Testament subject in Caravaggist painting, since its celestial fireworks challenged the usual formula of interior candlelight. Stom’s early version from around 1628, now in Quebec’s Musée de la civilisation, shows a young painter experimenting with supernatural radiance on a grand scale. The painting’s journey from Italy to French Canada likely occurred through colonial-era religious orders.

Heavenly fire replaces Stom’s usual candle as the light source, creating an unusually warm and expansive illumination across the scene. The upward compositional thrust is rare in Stom’s typically horizontal arrangements.