Register van de wapenkaart van de heren veertigen van de stad Leiden - Cornelis de Pecker

A seventeenth-century Dutch register of names and heraldry for the city of Leiden, featuring a decorative floral border.

This document, titled Register van de wapenkaart van de heren veertigen van de stad Leiden, functions as an index for a heraldic map of the forty gentlemen of the city of Leiden. Produced by Cornelis de Pecker, this engraving provides a systematic list of names, organised alphabetically, which corresponds to the coats of arms displayed on a larger cartographic work. The text is presented in a clean, columnar format, typical of seventeenth-century Dutch administrative and genealogical records.

The document is framed by a decorative border featuring floral motifs, which provides a visual contrast to the rigid, typographic nature of the register itself. The use of clear, legible typefaces reflects the practical purpose of the work, intended for reference by the civic elite of Leiden. As a piece of historical ephemera, it offers a glimpse into the social structure and governance of the city during the Dutch Golden Age, where heraldry functioned as a primary indicator of status and lineage among the ruling class.

This print is a specimen of the intersection between cartography, genealogy, and civic pride. The precision of the engraving demonstrates the high standards of Dutch printing houses during this period. For those interested in the history of Leiden or the study of Dutch heraldry, this register serves as a primary source document. It captures the names of the influential figures who shaped the city's administration, preserved here in a formal, structured layout. The work is devoid of unnecessary ornamentation, allowing the focus to remain on the names and their associated numerical references, which likely linked to specific locations or shields on the original map.