Opening page of a 17th century Spanish Baroque Carta executoria, providing geological evidence of aristocratic lineage with no trace of peasant, Jewish or Moorish blood. More than simply asserting one's high standing, such documents exempted the holder from civil suits and taxation. Carta executoria were often ostentatiously illuminated (as here), to suggest the wealth and taste of the grantee. Displays large intricate initial "D" (i.e. Don Carlos, King of Spain from 1665 - 1700) in the form of an ornate fountain incorporating fish, snakes, birds, and foliage.