This oval carnelian plaque is engraved with an intaglio that is clearly inspired by the abolitionist medallion, which was designed by Josiah Wedgwood in 1787. The intricately carved intaglio depicts a kneeling black man in chains with his hands raised to the heavens; it is inscribed with the phrase “Am I not a man and a brother?”
The original Wedgwood anti-slavery medallion was an abolitionist symbol created and distributed by British potter and entrepreneur Josiah Wedgwood for the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade. Produced as a jasperware cameo at Wedgwood’s Etruria Works factory, the cameo medallion was widely circulated in both Britain and the United States.
These cameos were worn as pendants, set into snuff boxes, and incorporated into bracelets and hairpins, quickly becoming fashionable symbols of the British abolitionist movement.
The Wedgwood medallion played an important role in promoting the abolitionist cause and is now regarded as one of the most recognizable pieces of anti-slavery material associated with the movement. I have not found any carnelian intaglios created by Wedgwood in my research, so I suspect it was created by a different maker, as a homage to this powerful symbol.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Size: 29 x 24 x 3 mm.
Weight: 4.00 grams.
Age: Early 19th Century, circa 1800.
Material: Carnelian.
Condition: In great antique condition with some minor wear, consistent with age.
Please note that the antique box is for display purposes. This shop is based in the EU. Although antiques are exempt from taxes in most countries, buyers from outside the EU might be subject to import duties.
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