This gun, which weighs 5 ¾ tons, was probably made in the Low Countries in 1607, commissioned by the Knights of Malta. It is richly decorated with a variety of images representing the Order’s religious and humanitarian role. It was brought to England around 1800 and lay at the Royal Arsenal in Woolrich until 1962, when it was transferred to the Tower.

John Hall of Dartford, Kent, made the carriage for the gun in 1827 on the orders of the Duke of Wellington, Master General of the Ordnance. It shows the Arms of Malta and scenes from the history of the island. The breech of the gun rests on an iron quoin in the shape of a Maltese dog.