Study for ‘The Tulip Folly’ 

Jean-Léon Gérôme created this pencil study to prepare for his painting ‘The Tulip Folly.’ This work takes us back to 17th-century Holland, during the peak of “Tulipmania” when the price of tulip bulbs reached extraordinarily high levels before dramatically collapsing. This sketch offers insight into the artist’s approach to depicting social commentary through historical narrative. We see a figure of apparent affluence, his attire suggesting status, yet he's tethered—literally bound by the ankle—to a tulip. Gérôme was fascinated by historical and social themes. His academic style often served to critique or reflect on contemporary society through the lens of the past. The “Tulip Folly” serves as a historical mirror, inviting viewers to reflect on the nature of speculative bubbles and the irrationality of the markets, themes as relevant today as they were in the 19th century, and indeed, the 17th. The emotional depth of the piece lies in its poignant depiction of human folly, then and now.