1121284 The Castle of Batavia, 1661 (oil on canvas) by Beeckman, Andries (fl.1651); 108?151.5 cm; Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; (add.info.: The Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, VOC) trading company flourished in the 17th and 18th centuries with an Asian capital at Batavia, now Jakarta, in Java. Here the fort, the administrative centre, is seen from Kali Besar (fish market in the foreground) with Chinese and Javanese merchants and freed slaves (mardijkers) in their striped clothing. Beeckman was one of the few Dutch painters to visit Asia. ).