John Cabots Voyage and Discovery of Cape Breton
X.114.10
The year is 1497, five years after Columbus’s voyage, when European exploration of the Americas began in earnest. The mural chronicles aspects of Italian explorer John Cabot’s voyage to the Americas with his son, Sebastian, in 1497. Navigational planning, acquiring funds from King Henry VII, loading cargo, and finally landfall on the shores of Cape Breton all document the expedition to the New World.
The moment of landfall at Cape North is depicted in the bottom of the image, where it was believed John Cabot landed and claimed the land in the name of the King. This scene shows a Christian cross being planted in the soil, along with the St. George’s Cross, (flag of England) on the left, and a flag with the Royal Coat of Arms (a symbol of the British crown) on the right. Like all of the works in this series, Lewis Parker completed extensive research on period costumes for this mural.