Simon then went to the
United Provinces, where he associated with Willem
Six, a wealthy cloth dealer. In 1663, he married Willem's daughter, Johanna Jacoba Six (1645–1700), and they had six children. She was the niece of
Thymen and
Jacob J. Hinlopen, founders of the VOC and
Noordsche Compagnie, besides being known as art collectors. In 1679, he was appointed "Commander" of the VOC's colony at the Cape of Good Hope, through the growing influence of his relative,
Joan Huydecoper van Maarsseveen, a mayor and an amateur botanist. Simon was involved in making wine in
Muiderberg; when he left the country, he handed the vineyards over to
Hendrik van Rheede, the former governor of
Malabar region and a famous botanist. Van der Stel and his wife did not enjoy a very good relationship and her sister Cornelia accompanied her husband to the Cape. Van der Stel never saw his wife again, though he remained devoted to her and frequently sent her money. Johanna Jacoba sent the furnishings and works of art required to fit out the governor's residence at Groot Constantia. These included several art works including
The Fisherman, an unfinished painting by
Simon de Vlieger, which was one of 13 of his works purchased by
Jan van de Cappelle. In 1685, he was visited by
Hendrik van Rheede (with whom he shared in great interest in
tropical medicine and
botany), and was given Constantia as a reward for 'good and faithful services to the VOC'. In 1685–86, he left for an expedition to the Copper Mountains at
Springbok (
Namaqualand), where he made topographic and geographic, botanical and zoological observations. In his translation of this work from Dutch, Baron Wilhelm Ludwig van Buchenroder spells the surname as 'van der Stell'. In 1691, the VOC replaced the office of "Commander" with "Governor", and Van der Stel was promoted to the new position. His house,
Groot Constantia, was well furnished with fine paintings, including
The Fisherman. The painting came up for sale at the auction of Van der Stel's estate in 1716. An expedition under
Willem de Vlamingh was sent out to look for survivors on islands in the
Indian Ocean or on the coast of
Western Australia. Van der Stel retired in 1699, and was succeeded by his son
Willem Adriaan van der Stel. In retirement, Simon devoted himself to his wine estates (known as
Constantia), where he died in 1712.
François Valentijn visited his son Frans in March 1714. The estate was sold in parts (also
Bergvliet) in 1716; the auction took four days and was very well attended. == Legacy ==