Wedgwood Medallions Form Important Part of Slavery Story...
17th January 2025
A rare Wedgwood Jasperware Medallion attracted a lot of attention when it came up for sale in Lawrences Winter Fine Sale on the 15th of January
Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795) was a committee member for the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade, and it was for this cause that he created a medallion which was modelled in 1787 by William Hackwood (1753-1836) based on a seal which was commissioned by the society. The medallion was to be produced in black and white jasper, a high-fired, non-porous, stoneware body that can be coloured with a mineral oxide stain, which Josiah Wedgwood had perfected in the late 1770s. and depicted a kneeling slave in chains, moulded with the motto ‘Am I Not a Man and a Brother?.’
Shortly after the production of the medallion At the end of February 1788 Josiah sent an unknown quantity of these medallions to Benjamin Franklin writing in a covering letter ‘I embrace the opportunity to inclose for the use of your Excellency and friends, a few Cameos on a subject I am happy to acquaint you is daily more and more taking possession of men’s minds on this side of the Atlantic as well as with you. It gives me great pleasure to be embarked on this occasion in the same great and good cause with you, Sir, and I ardently hope for the final completion of our wishes.’
The medallions quickly became a fashion statement Thomas Clarkson. ‘Some had them inlaid in gold on the lid of their snuff-boxes. Of the ladies, several wore them in bracelets, and others had them fitted up in an ornamental manner as pins for their hair. At length the taste for wearing them became general, and thus fashion... was seen for once in the honourable office of promoting the cause of justice, humanity and freedom.’
Auctioneer Sophie Tregarthen-Leisk said, “These medallions depict an important moment in the history of abolitionism in the West and a huge risk for Josiah Wedgwood as it risked alienating a large proportion of his clientele who in one way or another were linked to or profiting from the trade in enslaved people.”
The medallion was highly sought after by collectors, ultimately achieving a final price of £4,600.
