Sara, Abraham and Hagar

Stom painted the subject of Sarah, Abraham, and Hagar at least three times across his career, and this late version from around 1645 in the Gothenburg Museum of Art shows his continued fascination with the domestic drama of the patriarch’s household. The emotional triangle—a wife offering her servant to her husband—allowed for complex psychological interplay illuminated by the artist’s signature candlelight. Stom's mastery of candlelight effects was among the most technically accomplished of all Caravaggist painters, surpassing many of his contemporaries in the subtlety of his graduated shadows and the warmth of his artificial illumination.

The three figures are arranged in a frieze-like composition, with Sarah’s guiding gesture directing the narrative flow from left to right. Warm light softens the flesh tones, giving the scene an intimate, almost tender quality.