Tattooing being rediscovered by Europeans during the age of discovery is a myth, here is a quote from Charles Pierre Claret de Fleurieu writing about Marquesan tattooing he saw in the 18th century

"We should be wrong to suppose the tattooing is peculiar to nations half-savage; we see it practised by civilized Europeans; from time immemorial, the sailors of the Mediterranean, the Catalans, French, Italians, and Maltese, have known this custom, and the means of drawing on their skin, indelible figures of crucifixes, Madonas [sic]. &c. or of writing on it their own name and that of their mistress."

You can read more about the myth of tattoo rediscovery by Europeans in this great article by tattoo historian Anna Friedman(the quote is pulled from her article): The Cook Myth