If you have been in my shop more than once, you will surely know that I have a few things that I really love......Gnomes, squirrels, all things chinoiserie......which would of course include tulipieres........ Tulipieres come in many shapes and sizes, but they were originally formed in a semi-pagoda style.......so you might be tempted to think that they might be Chinese of origin, but they are in fact, a Dutch thing. In the 1600's hybridized tulips were being traded on the market like stocks are being traded now. Certain new and exciting varieties would be traded for the same price as a house. So here is the Asian style tie-in.....tulips - which are thought of as a Dutch thing (and now really now are a Dutch thing...) actually have their origins in the Far East, so the tulipieres were created in an Asian or chinoiserie style to reflect that origin. The main purpose of the tulipiere was to show off individual expensive varieties of tulips, thereby showing off your extreme wealth. Interesting to note is that the bottom eventually fell out of the tulip market much like our modern financial disasters....time just repeats itself. I love the history of things.......geeky, but kinda cool!
Anyhoo..........The pair pictured below are very traditionally shaped tulipieres done in a typical Delft Blue and probably about 5 feet tall. I saw one similar (but bigger and more ornate - with gold ormolu) at the V & A in London.....
Of course, there are many modern takes on the traditional tulipiere, which I love...and we just got a bunch of them in the shop....here is what we have in the shop.....so many great choices! Don't you know someone who would LOVE one of these for Xmas?????
So modern and cool! I love these gray pieces....so unique and modern....
Here is a photo of a coral branching tulipiere and a smaller version of the gray one two photos back. The yellow roses really popped against the gray and were a good substitute for tulips. I also have placed tillandsias where tulips should be and it is SUPER cool!!!!!
These artichoke tulipiers are a more subtle and conservative version, but the green one ( I didn't get the pink one - blech!) is quite lovely!
Allrighty then........ have a great last week of Xmas shopping! We hope to see you!!!! As always, the espresso is on us!!!
