Da Mei & Wen Lin (Chinese, 20th C.) "Yellow Tulip" Stamped lower right and lower left. Original Watercolor on Rice Paper. Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. This painting appeared on the Fleetwood First Day Cover of the U.S. 29c (F) Flower stamp issued January 22, 1991. Although it may seem hard to believe, the affordable and common tulip of today was once the most sought-after and expensive of all flowers. In the 1600s, speculators in Holland and nearby countries drove the price of tulip bulbs far beyond the reach of the average gardener. One would-be horticulturist gave four cows, eight hogs, a dozen sheep, a suit of clothes, a bed, two barrels of butter, one thousand pounds of cheese, two barrels of wine, four barrels of beer and a solid silver pitcher in return for a single tulip bulb. Fortunately for today's gardener, the tulip is far less dear, as evidenced by its presence in millions of gardens around the world. Developed in Turkey and Persia in the 13th century, the hardy tulip is a perennial, growing from a single bulb to bloom in early spring. Some one hundred species of tulip are known today, coming in dozens of shapes, sizes and colors. Planted in well-drained soil, a tulip from one bulb will bloom year after year. Rows of tulips around a favored tree bring splashes of early color to a landscape. Image Size: 12.25 x 11.75 in. Overall Size: 14.25 x 12.75 in. Unframed. (B12971)