Tulipiere

A tulipiere is an ornate flower-holder that is usually made of hand-crafted pottery. 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 Renaissance tulipieres were fairly normal pieces of decorative art that could be found in the houses of European elite. After the advent of large-scale global trade in the 1600s, numerous flowers from Asia such as the tulip, crocus, and hyacinth became luxury items in Europe and these cut flowers remained an exotic novelty until the end of the 17th century. Large pyramid-shaped tulipieres were particularly ornate and were used as a status symbol to indicate the owner's wealth.

References

* http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/tentoonstellingen/ex_191/flowers?lang=en
* http://www.humanflowerproject.com/index.php/weblog/tulips_in_harness/