Tulips – anonymous, c. 1820

Two Tulips, drawing in gouache and watercolour. Sheet size ca. 49 × 35 cm.

This sheet depicts two vividly coloured tulips in full bloom, with long blue-green leaves gracefully curving downward. The flowers display the characteristic flames and veins in red, purple, and white that were so typical of the much-prized so-called “broken tulips” of the 17th and 18th centuries. The painter has modeled the petals with fine brushstrokes, creating a lively play of light and shadow.

Although the composition and style recall the tradition of tulip portraits from the Dutch Golden Age, the somewhat naïve execution and absence of a signature suggest that this work was most likely produced in the 19th century by a talented amateur or dilettante, possibly as a study after an 18th-century example.

The drawing continues the long Dutch tradition of representing tulips not only as botanical specimens but also as aesthetic objects, symbolic of transience and beauty.

Prijs: Euro 1.250,-