St John the Baptist

This half-length St. John the Baptist, dating to Stom’s late career around 1650, once belonged to the collection of Prince Willem V of Orange-Nassau, the last Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic before the French invasion. The painting’s provenance through an Orange-Nassau collection is notable given Stom’s Dutch origins, though he spent virtually his entire working life in Italy. Stom's biblical subjects demonstrate the enduring vitality of the Caravaggist tradition in Sicily long after it had faded elsewhere in Europe.

The saint emerges from deep shadow with dramatic side-lighting emphasizing the musculature of the torso. Stom’s brushwork is looser here than in his earlier Roman period works, suggesting a late date.