Jan de Baen: The regents of the Hoorn chamber of the VOC (1682)

(West Fries Museum, Hoorn, The Netherlands)

A painting by the Dutch artist Jan de Baen (1633-1702). The V.O.C., the 'Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie' or 'Dutch East India Company) was a megacorporation founded by a government-directed amalgamation of several rival Dutch trading companies. It was established on March 20, 1602 as a chartered company to trade on East India (India, China, Japan, SouthEast Asia etc). The company was divided into six Chambers (Kamers) in port cities: Amsterdam, Delft, Rotterdam, Enkhuizen, Middelburg and Hoorn. Delegates of these chambers convened as the Heeren XVII (the Lords Seventeen). The company issued shares of stock to the public and is considered the first truly transnational corporation and also the first multinational enterprise. The gentleman on this painting are the board-of-directors of the Hoorn chamber of the V.O.C. Depicted are: Mr. Outger Crap (appointed in 1670), Dirk van Suchtelen (appointed in 1674), Cornelis Ment (appointed in 1675), Mr. François van Bredehoff (appointed in 1677), Mr. Jacob van Sander (appointed in 1680), Mr. Cornelis de Groot (appointed in 1681), and Nicolaes Carbasius (Secretary). Painting from 1682.