The Dutch East India Company (VOC) was set up in 1602 to gain a foothold in the East Indies (Indonesia) for the Dutch in the lucrative spice trade, which until that point was dominated by the Portuguese. It was a chartered company granted a monopoly by the Dutch government to carry out colonial activities in Asia, including establishing colonies in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and India. In 1658, the VOC sent Baldaeus from The Netherlands to Jaffna in northern Ceylon to work as a missionary. In this painting, Baldaeus wears Mughal dress including a checked turban. The Sinhalese man wears a lungi and appears to be of the farming caste of Vellalas.