Still Life with Tulips
Peter Binoit·1623
Historical Context
Peter Binoit painted this still life with tulips in 1623, during the period of growing tulip mania that would eventually culminate in the famous speculative bubble of 1637. Binoit was a German-born painter active in Frankfurt who specialized in flower pieces influenced by the Dutch tradition. The prominent display of tulips reflects their status as luxury objects — a single rare bulb could cost more than a house — and the botanical fascination of the era.
Technical Analysis
The oil on copper provides a smooth, luminous surface ideal for the precise botanical rendering. Binoit renders individual petals with careful attention to the striped color patterns caused by the tulip-breaking virus that made certain varieties so valuable to collectors.
Provenance
Claus Kramer, Küsnacht, Switzerland, by 1971.[1] (sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 13 December 2000, no. 9 [with NGA 2012.99.3]); purchased through (Richard Green, London) by Robert H. [1928-2009] and Clarice Smith, Arlington, VA; by inheritance to Clarice Smith; gift 2012 to NGA. [1] Kramer lent the painting to a 1971 exhibition in Zurich.
