Sarah Leads Abraham to Hagar

Stö​m employs a stark chiaroscuro, lighting the figures from a concealed lamp that creates deep shadows and a focused glow on the central characters. The dramatic contrast reflects the influence of Caravaggisti painters and the tenebristic approaches of Jusepe de Ribera. The figures are rendered with a sculptural solidity, while the limited palette of reds, blues, and earth tones heightens the emotional gravity.

Although Stö​m’s origins are debated between Dutch and Flemish, his career was largely based in Italy, where he absorbed the dramatic visual language of the period. The painting entered the Berlin Gemäldegalerie’s holdings in the early 20th century, where it remains on display as an example of the artist’s focus on biblical subjects rather than genre scenes.