Netherlands / Holland: 'Wagon of Fools' by Hendrik Gerritsz Pot, 1637. A satirical comment on the Tulip Mania craze sweeping Holland in the 1630s

'Wagon of Fools' ('Flora's mallewagen'). Followed by Haarlem weavers who have abandoned their looms, blown by the wind and flying a flag emblazoned with tulips, Flora, goddess of flowers, her arms laden with tulips, rides to destruction in the sea along with drinkers, money changers and the two-faced goddess Fortuna.

Tulip mania or tulipomania (Dutch names include: tulpenmanie, tulpomanie, tulpenwoede, tulpengekte and bollengekte) was a period in the Dutch Golden Age during which contract prices for bulbs of the recently introduced tulip reached extraordinarily high levels and then suddenly collapsed.

At the peak of tulip mania, in February 1637, some single tulip bulbs sold for more than 10 times the annual income of a skilled craftsman.

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Supplier: CPA Media Co. Ltd.

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