De zelfopoffering van burgemeester Pieter van der Werff, 1574 1822 - 1824

"De zelfopoffering van burgemeester Pieter van der Werff, 1574" is an 1822-1824 etching by Philippus Velijn, depicting the self-sacrifice of the mayor of Leiden during the Siege of Leiden. This print, housed at the Rijksmuseum, captures the dramatic moment, with Pieter van der Werff offering his own body to be divided amongst the people, if they wouldn't open the city's gates. The scene is full of tension, with the mayor standing defiantly against the crowd and the inscription below adding to the historical narrative. The etching is a powerful testament to the bravery and leadership of Pieter van der Werff and the tumultuous history of Leiden during the Eighty Years' War.