John the Baptist

Among Stom’s earliest surviving works, this John the Baptist dates to around 1628 when the young Dutch painter had recently arrived in Rome. The Caravaggist colony in Rome was still active, and Stom absorbed the style of Gerrit van Honthorst and Dirck van Baburen before developing his own distinctive approach. The Rijksmuseum acquired this painting as part of its effort to represent the full range of Dutch Baroque painting. Stom's biblical subjects demonstrate the enduring vitality of the Caravaggist tradition in Sicily long after it had faded elsewhere in Europe.

Strong tenebrism defines the composition, with the Baptist’s flesh tones sharply lit against an opaque dark ground. The handling retains a crispness that Stom would later soften during his Sicilian years.