Skip to main content

Secondary sourcePaintingc. 1525

Portrait of Vasco da Gama

Anonymous · c. 1525

The earliest known painted portrait of da Gama, made shortly after his death, showing him as a knight of the Order of Christ.

This is believed to be the earliest surviving painted portrait of da Gama, made soon after his death.

Ask Vasco da Gama about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Painting of an elderly bearded man with white beard and dark beret, wearing a dark robe with brown fur collar and a red cross pendant. He holds a pair of spectacles and a folded handwritten letter against a dark green background.
Anonymous, Portrait of Vasco da Gama, c. 1525.

About this source

What it is

This anonymous painting, made around 1525, shows an elderly bearded man wearing a dark robe with a fur collar and a red cross, the emblem of the Order of Christ. He holds spectacles and a folded letter. It is considered the earliest surviving painted likeness of Vasco da Gama.

Why it matters

Painted soon after da Gama's death, this portrait helped shape how later generations imagined him: not as a young adventurer but as an aged, honoured nobleman marked by religious and chivalric status. It shows how quickly image-making turned explorers into symbols of Portuguese power and faith.

Look closer

  • What do the objects he holds—spectacles and a letter—suggest about how the painter wanted him remembered?
  • Why might an artist choose to show an explorer as an old man rather than during his famous voyages?
  • What can and can't a portrait like this tell us about a real historical person?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Vasco da Gama on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Vasco da Gama sources

Meet the AI Vasco da Gama →
Painted portrait of a bearded man in a black cloak and black hat, holding a staff in his left hand and a sword hilt at his waist. Behind him is a shield with red and white stripes and a Portuguese coat of arms. The gold-colored inscription at top reads Dovasço da Gama Visoreie Comde.Painting

Secondary source

Vasco da Gama, Livro de Lisuarte de Abreu

Livro de Lisuarte de Abreu (compiler unknown) · c. 1565

A black line-drawn autograph signature on white background, with a stylized flourish above and an underline stroke beneath, running across the image from left to right.Document

Secondary source

Signature of Vasco da Gama

Vasco da Gama

A tall tapering white stone pillar topped with a stone cross stands on a raised circular platform by the sea. Two people sit on a low wall at left, and others sit near the right side under a partly cloudy blue sky.Artifact

Primary source

Vasco da Gama Pillar

1498 or 1499

Hand-painted portolan-style world map on parchment showing the Atlantic, Africa, and parts of Asia and the Americas, with compass roses, rhumb lines, colored flags, and Latin and Portuguese place labels.Document

Primary source

Cantino Planisphere

Anonymous Portuguese cartographer · 1502

Exterior view of the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon: a long, ornate white limestone Gothic building with a tall bell tower on the left, arched windows, and a red-tiled roof, under a clear blue sky. A palm tree and a few people stand in the foreground.Artifact

Secondary source

Jerónimos Monastery

Diogo de Boitaca · Begun 1501

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Vasco da Gama now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions