The Switzer was not considered the most beautiful tulip variety, but it was traded extensively during the Tulip Mania period. Not per bulb, but per pound, which indicates that the tulip variety was no longer so exclusive. Nevertheless, the prices of this tulip rose significantly during the price peak in 1636/1637. On February 6, 1637, a pound of Switzer was still sold for 1100 guilders in Amsterdam. However, shortly thereafter, the trade collapsed.
The name of the tulip was possibly derived from the uniform of the Swiss Guard, the Pope’s bodyguard, which was red and yellow at that time.
Van Baaren, M.C. (2023). Switser, (25×35 cm). Museum de Zwarte Tulp, Lisse.
Text: Henk Looijesteijn, Researcher Social History bij IISG Amsterdam
Ninetynine Tulips 