Growing up in Holland, MI, every May the town was absorbed in preparation and celebration of Tulip Time. This annual festival celebrates the Dutch culture of the founding settlers and every year massive fields of tulips bloom and wooden shoes are retrieved from storage. Being neither Dutch nor prone to enjoy historical festivals as a child, I grew up annoyed at the very site of a tulip. But now as an adult, geographically removed from the claustrophobic tourist crowds of Tulip Time, these bulbs now have a soft spot for me as a harbinger of springtime. One of the more interesting anecdotes about tulips and the Dutch was Tulip Mania, a period where tulips, imported from Persia, were so wildly popular that they had economic impact. From wikipedia: Tulip mania (Dutch: tulpenmanie) was a period during the Dutch Golden Age when contract prices for some bulbs of the recently introduced and fashionable tulip reached extraordinarily high levels, with the major acceleration starting in 1634 and then dramatically collapsing in February 1637. It is generally considered to have been the first recorded speculative bubble or asset bubble in history. In many ways, the tulip mania was more of a then-unknown socio-economic phenomenon than a significant economic crisis. It had no critical influence on the prosperity of the Dutch Republic, which was one of the world's leading economic and financial powers in the 17th century, with the highest per capita income in the world from about 1600 to about 1720.[4][5][6] The term "tulip mania" is now often used metaphorically to refer to any large economic bubble when asset prices deviate from intrinsic values." That does sound somewhat familiar to something(bitcoin). Born from this mania was a unique vessel to display these valuable blooms, the Dutch Tulip Vase, also called a Pyramid Vase. Tulip vases can be round, square or oval and they are made in different sizes; the big ones have multiple floors and consist of loose stackable sections. At every level of the vase, one can insert flowers into each of the spouts. The big tulip vases were used to decorate the hearth during the summer and the smaller vases would be placed on the table on a festive occasion. Here are a few of my favorites: If you have any interest in acquiring one of your own, Etsy has quite a few options, or you can get one modeled after those in the Rijksmuseum at their gift shop.
1 Comment
The Charleston House is a living work of art. Tucked away in Sussex, the house was the hub for the Bloomsbury group, a collection of artists and writers including Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant. The couple rented the house in 1916 and it became a retreat for artist, that then adorned every inch in art and collected decor. House & Garden UK has a beautiful tour photographed by Paul Massey. Read on for more. Raoul Dufy was a French artist who helped originate the artistic movement of Fauvism. Les Fauves, “the beasts” in French, were artists that painted in a bold and frenetic manner. Their works were considered so wild that critics said the paintings could have only been created by beasts. While his work would now be considered fairly tame, at the time it was truly groundbreaking. Once he was exposed to cubism his art took on the bold lines and color washes that became his distinctive style. Dufy enjoyed success as an illustrator and decorative designer for textiles and ceramics. His work often featured glamorous interiors and occasions, like yachting parties and the French Riviera. It was this focus on less than serious subject matters that may have hindered him from having as much critical success. What I love most about his work is that is always seems so joyful! There’s a riot of color and the line work is so energetic. Just looking at his paintings makes me smile and I think his illustration background influences his interiors, I feel like they are scenes from a story and I try to interpret them.
I never used to like tulips. Maybe it was growing up in a city with a festival dedicated to them, but they always seemed so overtly cheerful. Now however, I appreciate their joyful blooms and strong stems. Plus they have a fascinating history. From Serenata Flowers:
“ Tulip Mania, which took place during the Dutch Golden Age, caused the tulip market to rise to extortionate proportions, it later crashed. It was one of the first-ever unpredictable market bubbles to take place in history. A tulip was once worth more than a precious diamond. At the height of Tulip Mania, between 1634-1637, a single bulb was said to be valued at an astounding price – a massive ten times the annual income of wealthy skilled craftsman.” The old Dutch Masters used them frequently in their still lifes to represent the fleeting beauty of life. The Regency era, with its Jane Austen heroines, elaborate bonnets, and even more elaborate manners, is often portrayed as a frivolous, pastel-hued time. But the Regency was only a brief period of the Georgian era. Stretching from 1714 to 1830, the name of this period was derived from the rule of King George IV, and it was much bleaker than the country dances at Netherfield would make it seem. In fact, I like to call the Georgians the proto-goths. Premature death was a common factor of life for the Georgian citizen, and their mourning traditions were totally metal. To commemorate lost ones and express their grief the Georgians would commision beautiful articles of jewelry. These objects told the story of the departed and the wearer’s relationship through intricate symbolism. Snakes, particularly the ouroboros, represented eternal love. Skulls, willows, urns, and anchors were common visual themes. Sounds like good inspiration for a tattoo sleeve.
|