Tulips feel like Spring. While we wait for fresh cut tulips from the farmer’s market:
Why not hang some tulip prints and bring spring into your home? The prints below would look refreshing in a powder room or calming in a master bedroom. You can arrange them in a group of three prints – using different sizes would add a nice element to the display. Playing with frame sizes and frame styles also gives a great effect when using very simple prints. You can also use each print individually on a smaller wall. I like to make a paper cutout of the same frame size I will be putting on the wall first and tape it to the wall (using masking tape). I leave the paper on the wall until I am ready to commit — can be a few days and that’s OK. Walk by it, stare at it and when you’re ready, go for it! Your home is your canvas, enjoy!
Tulip Sylvestris Jaune
And the most expensive of all is the tulip Semper Augustus. The story goes that after tulips were brought in Europe from Turkey in 1554, the Tulipomania started. Holland was the epicenter of this love affair with tulips. Watercolors like the one you see below were compiled in small booklets (only 47 are left in the world today) to show prospective clients the multiple kinds of tulip bulbs available.
Semper Augustus Water Color – Anonymous 17th-century Dutch Painter
This particular print can be seen in the book entitled, “Great Tulip Book: Den Manuasier-S. Augustus Jacot” located at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California, USA.
Below are some other beautiful tulip prints from various vintage tulip books…
When in France one actually finds flowering plants/trees are cut and used in the home be they cuttings from a lilac tree, or various bulb flowers. They need not be tulips. Use what is available. I personally have a variety of lavander prints framed and hung along with a small bowl of fresh or dried lavander buds for their wonderful smell.
Bonjour MotherLodeBeth and thank you for your comment. Right, you can use any type of flower/flowering branch not just tulips. I love your idea of lavender buds near your lavender prints, great way to give a 3D effect to your deco and awake your senses with the beautiful smell of lavender. Thank you so much for sharing that!
What fabulous colours. I love tulips especially parrot tulips with their frilly petals. Great to paint in a ‘still life’,and isn’t it funny how they grow in the vase?
Right, it’s so pretty how each petal seems to have its own personality. In a bouquet or on a painting, tulips (flowers in general actually) do add so much joy to a home. Thank you for your comment Nicola!