Twee tulpen met vlinder 1637

Jacob Marrel created "Two Tulips with Butterfly" using watercolor and gouache, painted on parchment, sometime during the 17th century. During the Dutch Golden Age, tulips weren't just flowers, they were a feverish obsession. This work captures the height of "Tulip Mania," when these blooms were traded at prices exceeding the cost of houses. It wasn't just about beauty; it was about wealth, status, and the intoxicating allure of the exotic, tulips having been recently introduced to Europe from Turkey. Marrel's painting reflects the social and economic aspirations tied to these flowers. Note how he meticulously portrays each petal, almost like a portrait of a prized possession. There's a tension here – the delicate beauty of nature intertwined with the aggressive pursuit of wealth and the ephemeral nature of value. Consider the butterfly, a symbol of transformation and fragility, perhaps hinting at the fleeting nature of this speculative bubble. It invites us to reflect on the stories we tell ourselves about beauty, desire, and the relentless pursuit of more.