A tulipiere or tulip

Tulip

The tulip is a perennial, bulbous plant with showy flowers in the genus Tulipa, which comprises 109 species and belongs to the family Liliaceae. The genus's native range extends from as far west as Southern Europe, North Africa, Anatolia, and Iran to the Northwest of China. The tulip's centre of...

-holder is an ornate flower-holder that is usually made of hand-crafted pottery

Pottery

Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...

, classically delftware

Delftware

Delftware, or Delft pottery, denotes blue and white pottery made in and around Delft in the Netherlands and the tin-glazed pottery made in the Netherlands from the 16th century....

. They are typically constructed to accommodate one single flower stem per spout with a larger water reservoir base.

History

While fairly uncommon in modernity, during the 17th century tulipieres were common pieces of decorative art that could often be found in the houses of European elite

Elite

Elite refers to an exceptional or privileged group that wields considerable power within its sphere of influence...

s. After the advent of large-scale global trade in the 17th century, numerous flowers from Asia such as the tulip, crocus

Crocus

Crocus is a genus in the iris family comprising about 80 species of perennials growing from corms. Many are cultivated for their flowers appearing in autumn, winter, or spring...

, and hyacinth

Hyacinthus orientalis

Hyacinthus orientalis , is a perennial flowering plant, native to southwestern Asia, southern and central Turkey, northwestern Syria, Lebanon and northern Israel. It was introduced to Europe in the 16th century.It is a bulbous plant, with a 3–7 cm diameter bulb...

 became luxury items in Europe and these cut flowers remained an exotic novelty until the end of the 17th century. Large floor-standing pyramid-shaped tulipieres were particularly ornate and were used as a status symbol

Status symbol

A status symbol is a perceived visible, external denotation of one's social position and perceived indicator of economic or social status. Many luxury goods are often considered status symbols...

to indicate the owner's wealth.