LOST TULIPS OF THE DUTCH GOLDEN AGE - SEMPER AUGUSTUS AND THE VICEROI



During the 17th Century, Holland was truly experiencing its golden age. Money was pouring in from its colonies, although most notably from its highly profitable spice trade in the East Indies. The Nouveau-riche had finally arrived and were ready to spend, spend, spend.

Although strange to us with our modern obsession for advancing technology, the wealthy elite of the 17th century expressed their status with the ownership of rare and ever more beautiful bulbs. This was finally expressed in the speculative frenzy known as Tulip mania.

The tulip mania period of 1636-1637 was a crazed period in Dutch history when the contract prices for bulbs - in particular the newly-introduced Tulip - reached extraordinarily high levels only to suddenly collapse causing massive financial distress across the country.

At the peak of tulip mania in February 1637, inflated tulip contracts were selling for more than 20 times the average annual income of a skilled craftsman. This phenomenon is generally considered to be the first recorded speculative bubble and nowadays the term "tulip mania" is often used metaphorically to refer to any large economic bubble.

Semper augustus
Two of the greatest names of the Tulip mania period were the 'the Viceroy', and the 'Semper augustus' and these were very popular with the old Dutch Masters. The Semper Augustus was a red tulip patterned with intricate white striations while the similar Viceroy was red mixed with yellow striations. Perhaps the most famous of these was the 1614 masterpiece 'Flowers in a Glass Vase' by Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder as these featured both of these sought after bulbs. The original (see above) is currently in the National Gallery, London.

At its peak, the Viceroy bulb cost between 3000 and 4200 florins depending on the size of the bulb. To put this into context, a contemporary skilled craftsman would have earned about 150 florins a year. In 1633, one Semper Augustus bulb was said to have sold for 5,500 guilders, and in 1637, just before the crash, a price of 10,000 guilders was asked. In those days, such an exorbitant amount of money would have purchased a grand house on the most fashionable canal in Amsterdam.
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Below is a transcript of contemporary dialogue between Waermondt and Gaergoedt discussing the prices of tulips. It's from 'The Continuation of the Rise and Decline of Flora (1637)'. Courtesy of penelope.uchicago.edu

Waermondt: I have often wanted to ask you what kind of flower is the Semper Augustus of which I have heard so much?

Tulip Viceroy
Gaergoedt: That it is a beautiful flower; one can but see it at the homes of only two people, one in Amsterdam from which it comes, and also here [Haarlem] at the home of one who will not sell for any money; so they are in close hands.

Waermondt: At how much is such a flower estimated?

Gaergoedt: Who shall say? But I will tell you what I have heard about it: about three years ago, it was sold for 2,000 gld, transferred at once at the Bank, with the restriction that the buyer could not sell or alienate it without the consent of him from whom he bought it.

Waermondt: So they might have been worth this winter, say, 3,000 gld.

Gaergoedt: Yes, even 6,000, and possibly more, even if it be a plant of only 200 aces.

Waermondt: The flowers greatly surpass gold and silver.

Gaergoedt: You may say gold and silver, yes, all the pearls and costly stones.

Waermondt: It is true, if you consider their beauty when in existence and take into account by whom the trade is run. But not when you look at their perishability, and consider by whom silver and gold, pearls and stone, and artistic works are esteemed; because the latter are esteemed by great people, the former by common folk.
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Not only did this period bring great wealth to Dutch merchants it also brought with it financial speculation. Unfortunately it also created the first financial bubble when, after dramatically falling from its peak prices, tulip bulb values dropped by over 95%.

Some of these beautiful 17th century bulbs are still in existence today, available to buy for only a few pounds at your local plant retailer. But what about the almost mythical Semper August and Viceroy bulbs, are they still around? Unfortunately their extraordinary beauty arose from a viral infection which 'breaks' the single block of colour normally borne on tulips, adding a stunning striation of white or yellow coloured strips. As beautiful as this effect is, there is a terrible down side due to the harmful effects of the virus. It is severely detrimental to the health of the bulb, reducing its vigour, and making it difficult to propagate. Eventually the bulb has no strength left to flower eventually withering to nothing, and ending the genetic line. It's for this reason alone that the famous, colour broken Semper August and Viceroy bulbs no longer exist.

Of course you can buy modern replicas of these historic tulips which have been specifically bred to be similar in colour and pattern but without the destructive viral side effects. They are not as sublime as the originals but that are at least able to give a hint of what the Dutch speculators went overboard for. Varieties to look out for are from the Rembrant and Viridiflora ranges.

If you want to try and get hold of stock that contains the tulip breaking virus then you may be out of luck as in most countries - including our own - it is illegal to sell bulb material containing the tulip breaking virus. However a little bit of work may be able to turn something up at the The Wakefield Tulip Society, in England, Hortus Bulbum in Holland and the Old House Gardens nursery in the USA. Unfortunately there are no promises, but I will offer good luck and good hunting.

For further reading click onto the following links:
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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Simon,

Very intersting to read your comments about Tulipmania. I am in the process of researching the subject with the view to producing a photographic history of the tulips at the time.

Are there any of the most popular varieties in 1634 still available today eg Admiral Lietkin, Admiral Von der Eycke, & Semper Augustus? Could you suggest a supplier or maybe a botanic garden collection that I could get just a few bulbs from?

I'd also be interested to hear what varieties or species were the first to come to Augsburg, in Germany, in 1559, imported from Constantinople. It was from these with the help of selection and the work of the virus that the broken colours started.

I'd be most interested in your comments.

Regards

Trevor Sims

5 January 2009 10:34
Simon Eade said...

Hello Trevor,

I have been having trouble contacting you as you sent your message anonymously. There are still some bulbs avilable today from this era but don't forget that many of those strains that were caused by detrimantal virus have now gone. However - at this time of the year - availablility of bulbs is low as you can only buy container grown stock and with the limited numbers of heretage bulbs produced they would have typically sold out months ago. The few nurseries that commercially grow old varieties tend to have sold these special tulips in the autumn. I do have my own a small collection of old varieties, some of which will be avalable for sale in the coming autumn depending on how they have developed this year.

Unfortunately I have no information on the varieties that went to Augsburg but they are like to have been old Turkish varieties such as Tulipa acuminata. Suppliers of these bulbs are listed in a number of my articles about the old tulips, just go to the index at the top of the home page.

Thank you for your comments. Simon

16 February 2009 01:30
laura said...

Hello,
This is really an addition to the last post really. I have recently been reading about John Transedent and the fuss about the semper augustus. i have been looking everywhere for a bulb or and of these old variety from that era that are now no in common circulation. I appreciate it is the wrong time of year as mine collection are just blooming now, however if you know any one who has a plant I would be greatful for their details so I could contact them later in the year.
thank you
laura

17 April 2010 14:10

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