Ship graffiti in Malta 1500-1900

Abstract

The tradition of incising graffiti into stone or rock is immemorial and spans cultures. Graffiti found on the walls of holy places are intimately connected with the religious culture of ex-voto offerings. Many of these depict ships, and indeed it is a fascinating exercise to compare ship graffiti from various countries. It is as if the same hand incised the same graffiti everywhere, as if they were a common heritage among sailors. Of course, other motifs and images can be found in Maltese graffiti, but the focus here will be on representations of ships during the period in Maltese history stretching from 1500 to 1900. It may be supposed that ship graffiti were so popular in Malta because of its geographical position in the centre of the Mediterranean. Undoubtedly, the maritime traditions of the islanders and the proportion of the population employed in this sector was a contributing factor. Additionally, the soft globigerina stone extensively employed in Malta for the building of temples, churches, prisons, fortifications, public and private buildings is a medium that lends itself to the incision of graffiti, and further explains the high incidence of such graffiti in a relatively small space. Ships, especially in ancient times, were an integral part of human existence and their depiction in graffiti may be seen as an expression of deep personal affinities and callings. This helps to justify the granting of scholarly attention to a relatively neglected tradition. There is now greater appreciation of the necessity for the graffiti’s preservation, and during these last twenty years restoration work on public buildings, especially church facades and other walls, has uncovered numerous graffiti of ships.