Loading

Double Page of a Tulip Book

Jacob Marrelabout 1635–1645

The J. Paul Getty Museum

The J. Paul Getty Museum
Los Angeles, United States

This drawing comprises pages seven and eight from a tulip book, an album containing highly finished watercolors of tulips. Marrel rendered each tulip individually, floating in isolation on luxurious parchment. He depicted the blooms in vivid color and included small insects crawling over stalks, leaves, and blooms to evoke a sense of naturalism. Following the Pre-Linnaean Dutch naming convention, each flower is identified by an inscription with their names deriving from colors, patterning, and individual cultivators. The name for the left most flower, the Vroech gevlamt branson kaer, describes its appearance and its early bloom. Bransons are red tulips with a yellow band, while "gevlamt" describes the flicker of red that reaches from the base to the tip of the petal. Similarly, at the branson's right, the Admiral van Engelant (English Admiral), references its red and white colors and possible origins in England. On the right page, the Swimende Jan gerritsz, refers to the specific cultivator of the striking yellow tulip with white tips streaked with red. Its neighbor, the Gemarmert van kaer, is named for its marbleized red and white pattern.

Details

  • Title: Double Page of a Tulip Book
  • Creator: Jacob Marrel
  • Date Created: about 1635–1645
  • Location Created: Netherlands
  • Physical Dimensions: 33.9 × 44.6 cm (13 3/8 × 17 9/16 in.)
  • Type: Drawing
  • External Link: Find out more about this object on the Museum website.
  • Medium: Translucent and opaque watercolor with selectively applied gum over metalpoint (drawing) and pen and brown ink (inscriptions) on prepared parchment
  • Terms of Use: Open Content
  • Number: 2020.41
  • Culture: Dutch
  • Credit Line: The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
  • Creator Display Name: Jacob Marrel (Dutch, born Germany 1613/1614 - 1681)
  • Classification: Drawings (Visual Works)

Get the app

Explore museums and play with Art Transfer, Pocket Galleries, Art Selfie, and more

Flash this QR Code to get the app
Google apps