The Grand Staircase

The impressive central staircase of Paleis Het Loo slows visitors’ steps. Across the walls and ceiling, a painted world unfolds: a parrot, vases adorned with floral garlands, and behind a balustrade men from the Ottoman Empire seem to welcome you. You are looking at the second-largest painting in the Netherlands, designed by Daniel Marot and executed by court painter Robert Duval.

The original mural surrounding the staircase was created between 1690 and 1694 on the commission of King-Stadtholder William III, the patron and builder of Paleis Het Loo. The artwork tells a story that takes you from the Veluwe, to Versailles, and to Istanbul, the former capital of the Ottoman Empire. It reveals how the House of Orange was culturally and politically connected to other royal houses. During the exhibition The Grand Staircase, the restoration of the painting begins, during which the varnish layer is replaced and the history from the seventeenth century to the present day is brought to light.

Cover image: Part of the mural by interior architect Daniel Marot and painter Robert Duval, oil paint on a plaster layer, Paleis Het Loo