In 1787, entrepreneurial potter Josiah Wedgwood (1730 – 95) produced a ceramic medallion in support of the abolition of the slave trade. A forerunner of the protest badge, Wedgwood’s anti-slavery medallions were distributed for free at abolitionist society meetings to promote the cause. Wedgwood’s design was based on a seal commissioned by the Committee for the Abolition of the Slave Trade on 5 July 1787, showing a kneeling Black man in chains asking, ‘Am I Not a Man and a Brother?’. The motif and motto were widely reproduced and disseminated in print, on textiles and ceramics throughout the late 18th and 19th centuries. The process of translating this design into ceramic sculpture remains something of a mystery. The medallion motif was adapted from the print design and sculpted in 1787, probably by William Hackwood, Wedgwood’s best modeller.
Maple veneered frame of a similar age, overall dimensions: 21″ by 20 ½”
Condition: Obviously unfinished and darkening with age