Vasco da Gama (1460-1524), Portuguese explorer. In 1497, Vasco da Gama succeeded in sailing the length of Africa and rounding the Cape of Good Hope four months after setting off. In spring 1498 he arrived in India, and in doing so found a trade route which helped make Portugal a world power and which opened up the Indian subcontinent to European commerce. He arrived back in Lisbon in 1499. His second voyage to India took place from 1502 to 1503. His third and final voyage to India was in 1524. This is a close-up of a figurehead made of wood, dating from the 19th century and held by the Lisbon Geographic Society.