Graffitti of idleness

A series of eighteenth-century graffiti may be clearly seen on the bottom second-floor wall. These were done when the original sixteenth-century lodge was being enlarged to include an upper storey. Most of the graffiti represent galleys which swarmed the Birgu harbour
when Malta was occupied by the Knights of St John. One graffito represents some sort of game.

The graffiti of the lodge were done by idle stone-masons from their fresh recollections. Their
casual galley-graffiti indicate the time of their temporary stay at the lodge working on the
building. The graffiti undeniable date from the middle of the eighteenth century. At that time
the galley shipyard at Birgu was kept busy for the period the Order was in Malta (1530-1798).
During this period there were practically no changes in the design of the galley, which kept its
main lines and functions almost standard right up to its disappearance from the Mediterranean.
The type of ships built at the Birgu arsenal included galleots, tartanes, caiques, and demigalleys.

Maltese galleys were estimated to be the best in the world, and their efficiency and readiness to put to sea at a fortnight's notice made them proverbially known. Although all galleys followed the same method of construction, a particular one could excel in speed and behaviour at sea in contrast to the rest of the squadron. In the eighteenth century, a Maltese galley was expected to remain seaworthy for ten years. A ship could theoretically be completed in Medieval game eight months, but the time factor depended on the supply of timber and the graffito urgency and specifications of the commission.

The graffiti illustrated above are found in this lodge - demi-gally (left), a medieval game (middle) and a Maltese fishing-boat or dgħajsa tal-latini (right).