Christus und die Samariterin

Christ and the Samaritan Woman, painted around 1630, depicts the encounter at Jacob's well described in John chapter 4, where Jesus revealed himself to a woman of Samaria. Stom's treatment transforms the outdoor daytime scene of the Gospel text into a characteristic nocturnal composition, prioritizing dramatic effect and spiritual symbolism over narrative fidelity. 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 artificial light source, while anachronistic for the biblical scene, creates the intense chiaroscuro that defined Stom's approach to religious subjects. The two figures are linked by the light in a visual metaphor for the spiritual exchange described in the Gospel.