The “Tulipa Hevelman”, a late 17th-century tulip, stands out in the body of work of the German artist Maria Sibylla Merian.
Merian, renowned for her detailed botanical illustrations, captured this tulip after the heyday of the Tulipmania.
The Tulipa Hevelman is a striking sight with its deep red petals that are open, interspersed with subtle white stripes. Although this tulip cannot be directly linked to the famous tulips of the Tulipmania, it certainly contributes to the rich history of tulip cultivation in Europe.
Given that this tulip is named after ‘Hevelman’, a German-sounding name, and the late period in which this tulip was depicted, it is possible that this tulip is a German variant that emerged after the Tulipmania. However, with the lack of documentation about this specific tulip, one might wonder whether this tulip truly existed or if it was a product of Merian’s imagination.
The theme of the 99 NFT tulips for the “Tulipa Hevelman” is ‘painter’, inspired by the masterful technique and attention to detail of Van der Marrel. The portrait of the Tulipa van der Marrel from the ‘Ninetynine Tulips’ collection, serves as inspiration for the tulip NFTs.
Ninetynine Tulips 