Cloth Seal, Dutch, Leiden, Image & Found by William P. McLaughlin.
Found in a shipwreck off the Atlantic Coast of Panama near Galeta island, 25mm.
Blank (cut) // lion rampant holding sword in right paw and (seven) arrows in left // shield bearing crowned saltire keys, LAIDEN.ENCES around // blank
This seal has been opened after use, perhaps by the action of the water currents as the cloth decayed. Many cloth seals found on the Thames foreshore are in a similar state. The image to the left is the underside of the seal that would have been in contact to the cloth.
Normally the seven arrows in the claw symbolized the seven provinces of the Northern Netherlands:- Groningen en Ommelanden, Friesland, West-Friesland, Overijssel, Gelderland, Holland, and Zeeland. On this seal there only appear to be five arrows. Perhaps some Dutch historian knows of a time when only five provinces were included or it may well be down to die-cutters licence.
It is interesting to note that this seal was found in the same location as an English cloth seal BSG.CS.01304, indicating that ships trading with the Americas would pick up cloth from both Holland and London on the same journey.
