Adam van Westerwolt, by M.J. van Miereveld, 1636. After a succession of posts in the VOC, Adam van Westerwolt (1580-1639) was appointed to the East Indies Council, an important position within the VOC in Asia. In 1637 he was sent as admiral of a VOC-fleet to blockade Portuguese trade in the Indian city of Goa. Van Westerwolt commissioned this portrait shortly before leaving for Asia. On the table is an astrolabe, a navigational instrument.