Album amicorum of Kunera van Douma

A very striking aspect of this album is that all pages have a pre-printed border with a central stencil of a coat of arms complete with helmet and mantling on the recto sides. A design that is sometimes found in Germany, but of which only one other example has been handed down among the Dutch alba. There can be no misunderstanding about the owner of the album, Kunera van Douma. Not only the initials K.V.D. on the back cover point to this, it is crystal clear from the beautifully painted 'title page'. Yet it is remarkable that such an album belonged to a woman, because ladies did not carry shields at all. If their coat of arms was depicted, it was usually in the form of a diamond, which preferably had the suggestion of being attached to something. The result is that the four noble ladies who were willing to pay money to have their coats of arms immortalized in the album by professional painters now leave a very masculine impression, because in accordance with the template, the helmet, mantling and even the crests are completely worked out.

Whether it is due to the tight framing of the rather large embroidery is unclear, but the inscribers apparently did not feel very invited to indulge in the chansons and poems customary for women's albums. The few acquaintances to whom Kunera presented the booklet all limited themselves to their motto and name.