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Secondary sourcePainting19th century

Vasco da Gama portrait, English School, 19th century

19th century

A coloured engraving from the 19th century showing an imagined portrait of Vasco da Gama, made centuries after his death.

Shows how Gama was imagined in the 1800s, centuries after his death, presented as a noble explorer in an ornate frame.

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Coloured engraving of a bearded man in a black cap, blue cape, red sleeves and yellow stockings, holding a staff and sword, standing within an ornate architectural frame. A coat of arms appears at the top and the caption reads DOM. VASCO DAGAMA.
English School, Dom Vasco da Gama, coloured engraving, 19th century.

About this source

What it is

This is a coloured engraving from the 19th century, made by an artist of the English School whose name is not recorded. It shows a bearded man in a black cap, blue cape, red sleeves and yellow stockings, holding a staff and a sword. He stands inside an ornate architectural frame with a coat of arms at the top. The caption reads DOM. VASCO DAGAMA.

Why it matters

This image is imagined rather than drawn from life, because it was made centuries after Gama died in 1524. It is useful for showing how Gama was later pictured in the 1800s. The colourful costume and heraldic frame present him as a noble explorer, which reveals what European audiences of that century wanted to see in a national hero from the age of exploration.

Look closer

  • What clothing, objects and symbols does the artist use to show Gama's status?
  • Why might a 19th-century artist choose a coat of arms and an ornate frame?
  • What does this portrait leave out about Gama's real appearance and his actual voyages?

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.

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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

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Vasco da Gama, Livro de Lisuarte de Abreu

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

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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

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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

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Cantino Planisphere

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