Two Tulips

Of the many exotic products and specimens to be introduced to Europe over centuries of exploration, the tulip particularly captured the desire for such new luxuries. In the Netherlands of the 17th century, the price for the more highly sought-after bulbs could be ten times the annual salary of the average skilled worker. It is little wonder it culminated in t he market crash of the 1630s. Tulips stood out in comparison with European botany in the intensity of their colouring, with the variegated varieties being particularly prized. This study of two variegated tulips shows the ongoing fascination with this theme of botanical illustration dating back to Anthony Claesz who produced his "Tulip Book" around 1641. It was a prime example of the florilegia commissioned to illustrate the different varieties of tulip bulb, which at the time commanded extraordinarily high prices during the economic bubble of the early 17th century that became known as Tulipomania. The naturally beautiful nature of these works ensured their images would be copied for decades to come by painters and gardeners alike.

English florists became keen to cultivate a softer, more rounded form of tulip, unlike the more distinctly pointed petals of traditional Dutch varieties. This was obviously a very slow process of careful cross-fertilisation over many generations. The two illustrated here, probably dating from the very end of the 18th century, or early 19th century, show the progression of this quest. They also look to be slightly fringed, the characteristic found in parrot tulips. The variegation, which also added hugely to the flower's appeal, was originally the result of the mosaic virus, also known as the breaking virus, transmitted by aphids, that transformed the pigmentation in this manner, though at the expense of weakening the plant. The same effect was later recreated by deliberate cross-pollination.

Watercolour over pencil, finely executed on wove paper and heightened with gum-arabic, 29.5 x 21 cm (11 5/8 x 8 1/4 in), framed and glazed.