Flora’s Fools Cap
Pieter Nolpe (Dutch, ca. 1613–ca. 1653)
1720 (restrike of 1637 plate)
Etching and engraving
Created to commemorate Tulipmania, a Dutch bubble of the seventeenth century centered on speculation in tulip bulbs, "Flora’s Fools Cap" was first published in 1637, at the height of the earlier crash, and then later reissued as part of The Great Mirror of Folly. The image, which associates the goddess of flowers with the recklessness of collecting the fashionable tulip flowers, features collectors inside a tent-like structure formed by a colossal fool’s cap. Haggling over bulbs that initially skyrocketed and then precipitously lost value, the figures signal the folly of investing in faddish commodities. The reappearance of the print during the 1720 crash points to growing recognition of the cyclical nature of catastrophic downturns.
: Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs
The New York Public Library believes that this item is in the public domain under the laws of the United States, but did not make a determination as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. This item may not be in the public domain under the laws of other countries.
