The Unknown Cosmos
The series of frescoes that decorated the library of Dumarais's palace have been celebrated as some of the strangest and most beautiful artwork related to cosmology, yet to this day no one has figured out their true origin, nor what specific cosmos they depict.
The Cosmology Frescoes make up what might be the most puzzling quadriptych in art history. As far as scholars can tell, the pieces were commissioned by the Dumarais Duchy—one of the oldest and most powerful French dynasties, that reached its peak influence during the 18th century because of its ties to the royal House of Belladonne.
No expert has pinpointed the exact origin of the frescoes, nor their original creator. Even the latest art authentication and dating technologies provided no information, as the pigment itself changes overtime, sometimes producing results that would place the pieces before the dawn of men.
The only documented event around the frescoes is their restoration in the late 18th century, ordered by the last member of the dynasty, Duke Audoard Dumarais. The task fell onto Aristide Demontigny, a celebrated Rococo painter whom the duke knew through his third wife, Duchess Eloise Dumarais.
There are no references to the mythos depicted in the frescoes' titles anywhere but in the writings of 13th century sage Osric of Ipswich Liber de Peregrinatione in Tenebris, allegedly a 20 volume codex from which only two books survived. Both are kept under strict lock and key in the Custody Center for the Occult, Kingsport, MA.
Oswald Ravensfield acquired all four frescoes in October 1942, two months before his puzzling disappearance in Cyprus, where he'd traveled to purchase the Undersea Virgin from a private collector. In his will, Mr. Ravensfield left strict instructions about how to display the Cosmology Frescoes:
I've always been reticent to show the frescoes to the public, but that decision now belongs to my surviving relatives. However, these pieces of the collection come with their own set of rules, which shall never be dismissed:
1. Never display the frescoes side by side. I would even recommend keeping them in separate rooms.
2. No one should ever stare at the frescoes directly for more than a minute. This is imperative.
3. Always keep the frescoes under a strong lightbulb, especially at night.
4. The frescoes must never leave the Ravensfield family.
- Oswald Ravensfield
