Study of a Tulip (Anvaers)

These images of tulips-each slightly different from the next-once belonged to albums of similar drawings compiled during the "tulip mania," a time in 1600s Holland when 10 tulip bulbs could cost more than a stately Amsterdam canal house. Tulip books were kept by collectors or used by growers to show potential buyers the flower they could expect from the bulb. The stripes on the tulips, caused by a virus, made these red and white specimens especially valuable. To elevate their perceived value even further, each was given a lofty name, such as "marriage of jasper stone"(Gemarmerde van Jasper), "Antwerp" (Anavers), the name of a collector or grower (Perregoen Machieu), "white and red messenger" (wit en root boode),"little trumpet"('troosje), and Admiral Winckel, the family name of one of the largest tulip growers in the period (AmmiraelWinckel).

Credit: Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley Collection Gift