BRANDON FLYE

The stunning Semper Augustus flower with streaks and flames of crimson set against pure white petals has become a legendary symbol of the Dutch “Tulip Mania” of the 17th Century. 

This was the “Golden Age” of Rembrandt and Vermeer. The Dutch Republic was at the apogee of human culture, at the forefront of science, technology, and art. With Dutch East India trading vessels plowing the world’s oceans, the Republic and its citizens amassed great wealth. Imported goods from far-off cultures flooded the markets and fed a growing appetite for the exotic.

It may be surprising to hear that tulips do not come from the place with which they are so often associated.  The wild tulip is native to the harsh Himalayan steppes and the most arid landscapes of the Middle East. It is likely that the first tulips in Holland were gifts from the Ottoman Empire. In 1594 the Flemish botanist Carolus Clusius planted these foreign bulbs in the Botanical Gardens of Leiden, and the next year when they flowered, the Dutch obsession was born. Over the course of several years, he had to replace hundreds of tulip bulbs that were stolen.

wild tulips from Kazakhstan & Iran / an ancient turkish bowl with tulip design

Tulips soon became all the rage, and the ever-increasing demand created the first speculative bubble in human history.  In February of 1637, trading reached a fevered pitch and the bubble popped in spectacular fashion. Many individuals lost their entire fortunes. Right before the market crashed, the Semper Augustus was the rarest and most coveted specimen. The price for a single bulb could buy a mansion in Amsterdam’s canal district or could feed, clothe, and house a large Dutch family for half a lifetime. Like diamonds or gold, tulips were sold by weight. They even had their own unit of measurement- the aasan.

“Flora’s Wagon of Fools” by Hendrick Pot ~1640- an artistic lampoon of the Tulip Craze in Haarlem.

The Semper Augustus was a “broken” variety of tulip, referring to the streaks of color that made it so appealing. Notoriously difficult and unpredictable in their breeding, these “broken tulips” proved elusive to growers, and were thus even more bewitching. In a cruel twist of fate, it was later discovered that the streaks were caused by a mosaic virus that weakened the plants and eventually caused their demise. The last handful of Semper Augustus bulbs that were sold at astronomical prices never flowered. 

Today, it is illegal to grow “broken tulips” in the Netherlands without special provision. Planting them can spread the virus to unbroken tulips and lilies which are also susceptible. The Tulip Breaking Virus (TBV) is spread by aphids and still plagues commercial growers who spend hundreds of hours each spring walking the fields looking for virus-infected plants before they reach the greenhouse. If an outbreak is bad enough, the entire crop must be destroyed.

workers inspecting fields for virus-infected tulips

So beautiful. So fragile. This flower was like a phantom to those who sought to possess it and drove some into a type of mad oblivion. In the end, it has vanished into history. I modeled my depiction of the Semper Augustus after first-hand descriptions and it’s image in Dutch paintings. I also allowed my imagination free reign to craft what I hope is a fitting tribute to beauty, obsession, and tragedy expressed through art.