A Mysterious series by Ferdinand Bol: the painted wall hangings in the Peace Palace examined. Margriet van EIkema Hommes and Mariska Vonk.

The Bol room in the Peace Palace takes its name from a series of 3 paintings by Ferdinand Bol, that have decorated its walls since 1913. The paintings are unique in 17^th century Dutch painting because of their provenance – not a palace, but an Utrecht bourgeois residence – and especially because of their enormous size. In 2004, the paintings became the subject of extensive research. The research aimed at attaining new insights in Bols working method and in the origins of the series, but also attempted to shed light on the question of the subject matter of the paintings: is there a connection between the apparently unrelated mythological and biblical scenes depicted in the paintings? This publication provides a clear and concise overview of the course and results of the research.