Twee tulpen met slakkenhuis en waterjuffer 1639

Jacob Marrel made this watercolor on paper of two tulips with a snail and dragonfly, but the date is unknown. Holland in the 17th century was gripped by ‘tulip mania’, a speculative frenzy that saw the price of single bulbs soar to astronomical levels before crashing in 1637. This image is a page from a florilegium, or flower book. These books were status symbols, and could also be used by merchants, apothecaries, and physicians. The presence of the shell and dragonfly suggests a scientific interest in the natural world. But these elements are also reminders of the fleeting nature of life, the vanitas motif so common in Dutch art. The craze for tulips created a new institution, the flower market. The tulip became a commodity, with its image circulating in printed catalogs. To understand this image better, you could research the archives of the Dutch East India Company or consult period price lists for rare bulbs. Art history reveals the cultural and economic forces behind artistic production.