Boy reading by candlelight

A boy reading by candlelight belongs to the category of single-figure nocturnal studies that formed the bread and butter of Caravaggist painting. Stom’s late version from around 1650 strips the subject to its essentials: youth, flame, page, darkness. Such intimate compositions found ready buyers among collectors who prized the technical challenge of rendering concentrated artificial light on a young face absorbed in reading. 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 open book reflects candlelight upward onto the boy’s face, creating the characteristic under-lighting effect that Caravaggist painters used to suggest absorbed concentration. Paint is applied thinly in the shadow areas.