Tulips dormant during the cold winter months and show signs of life at the first signs of warmth in the early spring sun. These tulips were painted during the first Covid-19 lock-down.

Tulips symbolize rebirth and growth in life, orange tulips in particular symbolize enthusiasm and warmth in life.

The origin of the tulip is in the far east in the region of Iran, Afghanistan and Kazakhstan. Due to the conquests of the Sultan Süleyman I, this area has become the Ottoman Empire, which also includes present-day Turkey. Sultan Süleyman I was very charmed by the beautiful tulip and therefore made the tulip the favorite flower of his court. In order to allow as many people as possible to enjoy the beauty of the tulip, the sultan gave tulip bulbs as a present to his guests in very special cases, including Mr. Ogier Ghislain de Busbecq (Komen (B) 1522-1592), then envoy of the German emperor Ferdinand of Austria.

Shortly before Mr. de Busbecq died, he sent tulip seeds to his friend Mr. Carolus Clusius, then leader of the Imperial Botanical Garden in Prague. Later Clusius became a professor in Leiden. Thanks to the sandy soil in the Dutch coastal area, the cultivation of the tulip became a special success there.

The tulip quickly became popular, but its popularity also had a downside. Around 1635 the “tulip mania” begins, in which tulip bulbs were worth more than their weight in gold.

In 1637 the tulip trade crashed and many speculators were left destitute.

PS: The Latin name of the tulip "Tulipa" is what means "a flower similar to a turban".