If flowers are your daily language, here’s a project that speaks it with a fresh accent. Ninetynine Tulips is an art-led initiative that began in Dutch history – and now it blooms on the blockchain, turning 99 hand-painted tulip artworks into digital collectibles called Tulip NFTs.
Floral Art Tulips
Each Tulip NFT is a certified, one-of-a-kind digital image based on an original painting. Together, they form a collection that connects Dutch tulip history with a new kind of art – an NFT series of beautifully designed digital trading cards for floral art lovers, collectors, and investors.
Simply put: the same tulips that once inspired traders and painters during Tulipmania are now blooming again in digital form.
From Painted Tulips to a 'Phygital' Garden
At the heart of Ninetynine Tulips are 99 tempera-painted artworks, each inspired by historic tulip varieties from the age of Tulipmania. Think of familiar names from Dutch floriculture – Tulipa Semper Augustus, Viceroy, Admirael van Tol – alongside long forgotten tulip gems.
Each painting inspired 99 digital interpretations, forming a total of 9,801 Tulip NFTs that echo the original bloom in different artistic styles. This unique fusion of physical and digital art – called 'phygital' – brings both worlds together in one collection.
The physical paintings tour the Netherlands, with spring 2026 showings at Tulip Experience Amsterdam – a leading flower museum and visitor center near Lisse, where guests can walk among thousands of tulips and explore their stories. It’s the perfect setting for a project deeply rooted in Dutch bulb culture.
A New Way for Florists to Celebrate Tulip Stories
After all, every flower a florist sells already carries a story. Ninetynine Tulips transforms those stories into collectible tulip artworks with a digital certificate of authenticity. It’s a new way to share flower heritage with customers who appreciate design, art, and innovation – and to tell tulip stories that reach beyond the vase.
Each Tulip NFT represents one of the 99 original paintings, recreated across 99 different art styles – from classical to futuristic. Owning one means you hold a small piece of tulip history in a new form. You can display it on a screen, share it online, or print it as wall art in your shop.
Within the imagery of Ninetynine Tulips, the flower appears in endless ways: reflected in mirrors, dripping with color, twirling in playful tulip dresses, or shining as the heroine in the futuristic realm of Neo Tulipa.
A Little Insight
Ninetynine Tulips has many layers – each artwork celebrates the story behind a historic bloom:
- Tulip #52 Admirael van Tol – always shown with a tiny spider, a nod to its 17th-century legend.
- Tulip #36 d’Admirael Coornhardt – inspired by a grower whose name means 'deer'; a deer motif appears in each version.
- Tulip #61 Semper Augustus – the mythical flower that once symbolized desire and excess during Tulipmania.
The art styles range from Fauvism-inspired color bursts to lo-fi nostalgia and ink-splash brushwork. One notable example, Series S49 – Ninetynine Tulips in Amsterdam (2024), blends illustration, photography, and fantasy against the city’s backdrop.
Asset-Backed Tulip NFTs – And How You Can Own a Painting
The pricing of the NFTs nods to one of Tulipmania’s final moments – the February 1637 auction in Alkmaar, held just before the bubble burst. Some tulips, like Semper Augustus, once sold for fortunes – and in digital form, its value still blooms at the top of the ladder. Others remain beautifully affordable, made for the common florist and flower lover alike.
What makes this project remarkable is that by collecting Tulip NFTs, you can become the owner of one of the physical paintings.
Eventually, the artworks will be distributed among collectors who hold the majority of NFTs from a specific tulip, art style, or series. The digital certificate of ownership on the blockchain will identify the rightful owner – anywhere in the world.
Built for Community and Collaboration
Florists can engage with Ninetynine Tulips in many creative ways. Display selected tulip artworks in your shop or newsletters. Or by linking seasonal blooms with their cultural stories. You can theme your shop around one of the collections – for instance, Tulips in Wonderland, Tulipanes de los Muertos, or Retro Hippie Tulips.
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Others pick a favorite tulip – like Paragon Aertsen or Admirael van der Eyck – and create small themed displays to share its story. You could even turn your shop into a tulip world of its own: futuristic, nostalgic, or bohemian – showing how endless the creative possibilities are.
Ninetynine Tulips revives Dutch tulip heritage for the digital era. It invites florists, collectors, and art lovers alike to share in a new kind of beauty – one that bridges centuries and cultures. Because the tulip still has so many stories to tell – no matter the time, the format, or the world it blooms in.
All images courtesy of Ninetynine Tulips by Arto Dŭaras. For more info, visit Ninetynine Tulips & og.rarible.com/ADuaras/collections.
