"BRITANNIA SET ME FREE"

Date1790-1835

MediumStone, wax, glass; wax, gilding, paint, metal wire.

DimensionsDiam: 5 3/4" (14.3 cm); OD: 1" (2.5 cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1995-171

DescriptionMedallion in marble or alabaster frame, with a kneeling slave and a painted scene of "Britannia" seated on an embankment holding a spear. ...Label TextThis medallion, although incorporating the figure of the kneeling slave and the female figure common to many anti-slavery images, is unique in its motto, "Britannia Set Me Free. " This ties it either to the abolition of the slave trade in England in 1807 or the abolition of slavery in 1833. The English abolitionist movement provided the impetus for the American anti-slavery movement of the 19th century, and as such, this medallion is important in illustrating the variety of media in which anti-slavery sentiments were voiced. It is a good complement to our Wedgwood anti-slavery medallion as well as our sampler of a slightly later period depicting a kneeling slave.Mark(s)Banner from slave's mouth reads" "BRITANNIA SET ME FREE".