Tulips, native to Central Asia, reached the Netherlands via the Ottoman court in the sixteenth century. By the second quarter of the seventeenth century, the flowers’ elegant form and almond-shaped petals, available in a vibrant array of colors and patterns, was a ubiquitous and conspicuous sign of the fledgling Dutch Republic’s economic prowess. Tulip books (tulpenboeken), albums containing detailed watercolor drawings of tulips, also emerged during the time of tulip mania. Painter and draftsman Jacob Marrel became one of the foremost practitioners of the genre, with a particular penchant for red and white tulips. This finely drawn and colored sheet exemplifies Marrel’s work, which was praised in this time and this carefully reproduced in this boxed set of eight notecards and envelopes. This set of boxed notecards was designed to accompany the exhibition Far and Away: Drawings from the Clement C. Moore Collection on view at the Morgan Library & Museum June 28, 2024 through September 22, 2024.
