Honestly, if you go looking for an authentic picture of John Cabot, you’re going to run into a wall pretty fast. It’s one of those weird historical quirks. We have maps, we have royal pensions, and we have legal documents from the 1400s, but we don’t have a single image of the man drawn from life. Not one.
The face you probably recognize—the one with the flowing robes and the serious, bearded expression—isn't actually him. Or, at least, we can’t prove it is. It’s a bit of a historical "catfish" situation that has lasted for over five centuries.
The Venice Mural Mystery
Most people who search for a picture of John Cabot end up looking at a very specific mural. It’s a gorgeous piece of art located in the Sala dello Scudo in the Doge's Palace, Venice. In it, Cabot looks exactly like you’d expect a Renaissance explorer to look: noble, determined, and very Italian.
Here’s the catch: that mural was painted by Giustino Menescardi in 1762.
Cabot disappeared in 1498.
That is a gap of nearly 270 years. Menescardi wasn't painting a portrait based on a lost sketch; he was creating an idealized version of a local hero for a government building. It’s basically 18th-century fan art. While it’s the most famous picture of John Cabot, it tells us more about how Venice wanted to be remembered in the 1700s than what Zuan Caboto actually looked like when he was walking the docks of Bristol.
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Why Do We Keep Confusing Him With His Son?
Another reason the visual history is so messy is because of his son, Sebastian. Unlike his father, who vanished into the Atlantic mists, Sebastian Cabot lived a long, loud, and very public life. He was a bit of a self-promoter, too.
There is a very famous portrait of an elderly Sebastian Cabot, wearing a heavy fur-lined robe and holding a compass. Because "Cabot" is the name everyone remembers, this image frequently gets mislabeled in textbooks and online galleries as a picture of John Cabot.
- John Cabot: Disappeared c. 1498. No contemporary portraits.
- Sebastian Cabot: Died 1557. Had several portraits made during his life.
It's an easy mistake to make, but once you notice the dates, the whole thing falls apart. You've probably seen Sebastian’s face a dozen times while searching for his father.
The Bristol Statue: A Modern Interpretation
If you visit Bristol today, you’ll see a bronze man sitting on a piece of timber, staring out at the harbor. This is the John Cabot statue by Stephen Joyce, unveiled in 1985. It’s a fantastic piece of art, and it captures the "vibe" of a 15th-century mariner perfectly.
The sculptor actually used timber found in the River Avon to cast the base. But again, this isn't a "picture" in the sense of a likeness. It’s an interpretation. Joyce gave him a scarf, shoulder-length hair, and a coarse shirt. It feels real, but it’s essentially an educated guess.
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What the Documents Tell Us (That Pictures Can't)
Since we don’t have a picture of John Cabot, we have to rely on the "pen portraits" left by people who actually met him. In 1497, the Milanese ambassador to London, Raimondo de Soncino, wrote a letter that gives us a glimpse into Cabot’s personality.
He described Cabot as a "world-class paddler" (basically, a great sailor) who was so charismatic that the English "run after him like mad." After his first successful voyage, Cabot was apparently draped in silk and treated like a celebrity at the court of King Henry VII.
Imagine a man who went from being a debtor fleeing Venice to a silk-wearing "Great Admiral" in London. That tells you more about his presence than a 300-year-old painting ever could. He had the confidence to sell a king on a dream that even the Spanish hadn't quite figured out yet.
The Problem With "Historical Accuracy" in Art
Whenever you see a "discovery of North America" painting from the Victorian era—usually showing Cabot landing in Newfoundland with a big flag—take it with a grain of salt.
Nineteenth-century artists loved drama. They painted Cabot with perfectly groomed beards and pristine clothes, even though he had just spent weeks on a 50-ton ship called the Matthew with 18 other guys, likely smelling of salt and dried cod. These aren't records; they are stories.
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How to spot a fake Cabot "portrait":
- Check the date: If it was painted after 1500, it’s an interpretation.
- Look at the clothes: Are they 18th-century Venetian robes or actual 15th-century sailing gear?
- Check the name: Is it actually a portrait of Sebastian Cabot? (The compass is usually a dead giveaway for Sebastian).
Why the Lack of an Image Matters
Does it actually matter that we don’t know what he looked like? Sorta.
It keeps him a bit of a ghost in the history books. Columbus has a face. Magellan has a face. Even the Vikings have a "look," even if it's mostly based on tropes. But Cabot remains this shadowy figure who stepped off the map.
Maybe that’s fitting. He was a man of many names—Giovanni Caboto in Italy, Juan Caboto in Spain, John Cabot in England. He was a shapeshifter of the Age of Discovery.
What You Can Actually Use
If you’re working on a project and need a picture of John Cabot, you have a few honest options. You can use the Menescardi mural as long as you label it "18th-century interpretation." Or, you can use photos of the Matthew replica.
The Matthew is probably the closest we’ll ever get to seeing Cabot’s world. Seeing that tiny ship—barely the size of a modern tugboat—toss around in the North Atlantic gives you a much better sense of the man's grit than any fake portrait.
Actionable Takeaways for History Buffs
- Verify the Source: When you see a "portrait" of Cabot, check the artist’s dates. If it's post-1500, it's not a primary source.
- Distinguish the Cabots: Look for the signature compass and elderly features to identify Sebastian, not John.
- Focus on the Matthew: Use images of the replica ship in Bristol or Newfoundland to understand the scale and reality of his 1497 voyage.
- Read the Primary Letters: Check out the "Smugglers' City" project by the University of Bristol. They have the actual translated letters from 1497 that describe Cabot’s arrival and the excitement he caused.