Wapen van Adriaan Reepmaker 1763 - 1780

Maria de Haan created this crest of Adriaan Reepmaker using engraving techniques. Coats of arms were emblems of identity and status in the Dutch Republic, and this particular one signals Reepmaker’s place as Lord of several regions, council member of Rotterdam, and a bailiff. The image creates meaning through a series of heraldic symbols. Lions denote courage, and here they flank a shield bearing crosses and fleurs-de-lis, further emblems of rank. The Latin motto, “Vivere est cogitare,” “To live is to think,” suggests the importance of intellectual life to the Dutch elite. We can see in this image how social status was visualized in the Dutch Republic. By delving into local archives, family records, and the records of civic institutions, a historian can reconstruct the worlds that made such images meaningful. This coat of arms presents a visual record of a specific social context.