Vasco da Gama Engraving in Asia Portuguesa

What it is

This is an engraved portrait of Vasco da Gama. It appeared in Asia Portuguesa, a 1666 history of Portuguese activity in Asia by Manuel de Faria y Sousa. The image shows a bearded man in a wide-brimmed hat and an embroidered long coat, holding a staff in his left hand and a sword hilt at his waist. He stands in front of a printed page of text.

Why it matters

The engraving was made more than a century after Gama's death in 1524. It shows how later writers and printers imagined the explorer and presented him to readers of their own time. The book itself was a history written long after the voyages, so it adds an interpretation of the past rather than a firsthand record.

Look closer

• What clothing and objects does the engraver give Gama, and what might they suggest about how he should be seen?
• Why might a history of Portuguese Asia include a portrait of its explorer?
• How can you tell whether this portrait is based on a real likeness or on the engraver's imagination?