Healing of Tobit

The healing of the blind Tobit by his son Tobias was a favorite subject of Caravaggist painters throughout Europe, offering opportunities for dramatic chiaroscuro and emotional intensity. Stom painted this version in 1641 while based in Sicily, and it is now held by the Fondazione Roberto Longhi in Florence, a collection assembled by the art historian who did more than anyone to rehabilitate the reputations of Caravaggio and his followers. 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.

A single candle illuminates Tobias’s hands as he applies the fish gall to his father’s eyes, creating the sharp tonal contrasts that define Stom’s style. Flesh tones are built up in warm layers over a dark ground.