[The Face of Dutch]
Search my site:

P. Cos Book

This page will eventually become part of my tulips page

I am just a Dutchman of general education, a native speaker of Dutch without special knowledge of 17th Century Dutch - my pronunciation and translations are from modern Dutch - let Ed or me know if you think I'm wrong and you have a better idea.

The 'P. Cos Book' was a kind of catalog to the 'Tulipmania' bubble of ridiculously inflated prices that burst in 1637. Most of the paintings were made by Jacob Isaacsz. van Swanenburgh click to hear 2 who was in the 1620s Rembrandt's first teacher; a smaller number of the paintings was made by Adriaen van Witvelt click to hear 2

According to an article by Liesbeth Missel, curator of Wageningen University Library, Holland, 'admiral' and 'general' in tulip names refers to coloring; there were no actual military men by those names.

P. Cos, bloemist te Haarlem click to hear P. Cos, Haarlem florist
2. Purper en Wit Jeroen click to hear 2 Purple and White Jerome
3. Tulp uit Saet of Bellert click to hear 'Tulip from seed or ? (bell-ringer??)'
4. Pargoen Lifiens (Liefkens) Paragon?: Pargoen Liefkens click to hear 2 ?
5. Gel en Rot van Leijen - probably modern Dutch: Geel en Rood van Leiden click to hear 2 'Yellow and Red of Leyden'
6. Uyt Roepien probably modern Dutch: uitroepen click to hear 'crying out' (proclaiming its beauty?)
7. Admiraal Verijck click to hear 2 aka Admiraal Van der Eyk click to hear Admiral V.
8. Soomerschoon - modern Dutch: Zomerschoon click to hear 2 summer beauty
9. Petter click to hear 2 maybe: 'from the town of Petten' click to hear ?
10. Lagrandt (Legrandt): Legrand click to hear 2 (a French name)
11. Schone Brabantson - probably: Schone Brabantse click to hear 2 'a beauty of Brabant'
In the Middle Ages, Brabant click to hear was a large duchy - now divided between Belgium and The Netherlands
- in Modern Dutch, schoon click to hear now usually means 'clean,' but in the South and in Belgium it still means 'beautiful.'
12. Gouda click to hear town in Holland, famous abroad for its cheese
13. Viseroij: Viceroy click to hear (pronounced half-French) 'a high official ruling in a king's name'
14. Admeral Rotgans: Admiraal Rotgans click to hear 'Admiral R.'
15. Admirael Liefiens (Liefkens): Admiraal Liefkens click to hear 2 'Admiral L.'
16. Latoer click to hear 2 probably Dutchified French, meaning unknown
17. Admiral Golsien: Admiraal Golsien click to hear 2 'Admiral G.'
18. IJslijf click to hear 2 'ice-body' - colored like ice?
19. Parel click to hear 2 pearl
20. Admirael Backer: Admiraal Bakker click to hear Bakker click to hear is a common Dutch family name, like in English, meaning 'baker,' .
21. Otto de Man (Otter de Man) click to hear 2 a person's name - though 'otter' click to hear 2 means (as you might have guessed) 'otter.'
22. Nieuwenburgher click to hear 2 'new citizen:' the new tulip on the block?
23. Admiral de Fransche: de Franse Admiraal click to hear 'The French Admiral'
24. Blijenburgher click to hear 2 3 'Happy Citizen' - gladdens the heart?
de vroege click to hear 2 the early (blooming)
de laaste probably: de late click to hear 2 the late (blooming) - laatste click to hear 2 'last' looks unlikely
25. Wit en Rood Boode click to hear 'white and red messenger?' - 'bode' click to hear means 'messenger, servant'
26. Coorenaert - modern Dutch: korenaar click to hear ear of wheat
27. Tarlon (Tourlongh): Tourlon (?) click to hear or maybe Toulon click to hear (the city in France)
28. beste ijurij (Iorij) click to hear 2 best ? (I have no idea what it means or if I say it right)
ijurij click to hear or click to hear ? - Iorij click to hear or click to hear - I don't know.
29. Max click to hear a name like in English
30. Branden-burgher: Brandenburger click to hear 'from Brandenburg,' an area in the East of Germany'
31. ghevlamde boterman - modern Dutch: gevlamde boterman click to hear 2 'flamed butterman' - my best guess: a flame-patterned version of a yellow tulip
32. Bruine purper: Bruin Purper click to hear 'brown purple' (? whatever that is)
33. Roosje van Catolijn click to hear 2 small rose of C.
34. Nons wit click to hear I can only think of "Nun's White" but it doesn't make much sense (catholics were in hiding at the time)
de vroege click to hear 2 the early (blooming)
de laate - modern Dutch: de late click to hear 2 the late (blooming)
35. Admiral Catolijn: Admiraal Catolijn click to hear 2 'Admiral C.'
36. pocgher - modern Dutch: pocher click to hear 2 'boaster'
37. vroege blijenburgher click to hear 'early Blijenburger'
38. Saijbloem: zaaibloem click to hear 2 'sowing flower'?
39. Lijon: Lyon click to hear The French city
40. Faber click to hear Latin 'maker' - also a family name in Holland
41. manna cier click to hear 2 decorative nutrition? feeding the sense of beauty?
42. Jan Ghertsen click to hear 2 (Jan Gerrtsz click to hear 2 - an unlikely name) - more likely: Jan Gerritsz click to hear 2
43. Spinnekop click to hear spiderhead
44. Admeraal de Man - Admiraal De Man click to hear 2 Admiral De M.
45. Asientier click to hear 2 The only thing I can think of is German 'animal from Asia' - I may be entirely wrong
46. Rector click to hear 2 'head of a religious college or high-level school'
47. Admerael Crintiens (Krijntjes) - Admiraal Krijntjes click to hear Admiral K.
48. Oudenerder click to hear 'from the Belgian town of Oudenaarde' click to hear 2 famous for its medieval tapestries.
49. Generael Ver IJck (Van der Eyk): Generaal Verijck click to hear General V.
50. Witte Marvelijen (Marveilje): Witte Marvelijen click to hear 2 'Marveilje' click to hear Probably: Dutchified French 'merveille' (mriacle, marvel)
51. Enghels admeral: de Engelse Admiraal click to hear 'the English Admiral'
52. Mols wijck: Molswijk click to hear family name, maybe a small village
53. Lack van Rijn click to hear 'Van Rijn' is a family name, 'Lack' (or 'Lac') means 'red pigment.'
54. Ghememert van Kaer click to hear an unusual name
55. Troij cluer van Noviel (Troijs coleur van Noville): Troijs Couleur van Noville click to hear 'Couleur' is of course French for 'color,' but I have no idea what 'Troijs' or 'Noville' stand for
61. Orangie Camelot click to hear (half-French)
62. Tulipa aga click to hear Latin, meaning unknown to me
63. gebiesd van Coornart ~ modern Dutch: gebiesd van korenaar click to hear 2 - gebiesd click to hear 2 means 'striped,' like strips of cloth sewn onto a larger piece of fabric, so I assume this is a striped version of the Coornaart/Coorenaert (korenaar) tulip
65. Tulipa sulph(urea): Tulipa Sulphurea click to hear 2 Latin, probably 'sulphur-colored tulip' - yellow; the Dutch word for sulphur is zwavel click to hear
66. Tulipa anassos click to hear Latin, meaning unknown to me
67. Tulipa zescv sla (?) - I have no idea what 'zescv' could mean. 'Sla' click to hear means 'lettuce' in modern Dutch, but it may well be a misspelling or have meant something else at the time

other old tulips

Gouden Standaard click to hear 2 golden standard
Goudvink click to hear 2 goldfinch
Pottenbakker click to hear 2 potter (ceramics artist)
sent - modern Dutch: cent click to hear 2 'penny' - an unlikely name for an expensive tulip?
100 cents in a gulden click to hear ('guilder) - 5 cents in a stuiver click to hear 2 'nickel.'

Some of these tulips were sold for hundreds of guilders, which was a very large sum - a common worker earned two or three nickels a day at the time. Wageningen University has scanned some religious-tinted pamphlets condemning the speculative trade. One of these, 'Clare Ontdekking' gives an interesting list of contemporary prices, all these items together are the same price as paid for one of the top tulip bulbs. Remember that a common workman would earn two or three nickels a day at the time, and there were 20 nickels in a guilder (f for florin.)

From: 'Clare Ontdekking' (#19) (from: Wageningen University Tulips Portal)

twee lasten tarwe = (2x3000) 6000 liters = 1500 gallons of wheat - f448
vier lasten rogge = (4x3000) 12000 liters = 3000 gallons of rye - f558
vier vette Ossen = 4 fat oxen - f480
acht vette verckens = 8 fat pigs - f240
twaelf vette schapen = 12 fat sheep - f120
twee oxhoofden wijn = 2x220 liters - 100 gallons of wine - f70
vier tonnen bier (van acht gulden) = 4 barrels of beer - f24
twee tonnen boter = two barrels of butter - f192
duysent pont kaes = 1000 Lb of cheese - f120
een bedde met fijn toebehoren =a bed with quality bedding - f100
een pack kleeren = a suit of clothes (?) - f80
een silveren beecker = a silver cup - f60
--------------------------------------- all together: f2500
een schip om alle dese waren te voeren
a ship to transport all these goods: f500

old measurements found at: Alles op een Rij

email - Copyright © Marco Schuffelen 2011. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, redistributed, or hotlinked to.
Don't be a dief (thief) / dievegge (female thief) - diefstal (theft) - stelen (to steal) - heler (dealer in stolen goods) - hear Dutch - 2