AN ENGLISH ENAMEL 'ANTI-SLAVERY' PATCH BOX, SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE, CIRCA 1800

oval, the lid transfer printed after the seal for the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade depicting a kneeling and chained African flanked by a ship and dwellings below the motto 'AM I NOT A MAN AND A BROTHER', the pink body with waisted sides, white interior with mirrored top

4.7cm long

Although it is not known who designed the original seal for the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade, the image rapidly became famous and emblematic of the whole abolitionist movement. Following its adoption in 1787, Josiah Wedgwood, a member of the society, rushed to have a version produced as a jasperware cameo. These cameos were widely disseminated, including a shipment in 1788 to Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia. In the late 18th and early 19th century, similar versions of the image (always including the kneeling chained man and the motto) were found on a variety of objects, from boxes to buckles to jewellery and ceramics. For another example of this rare box, see Swann Auction Galleries, New York, 27 March 2014, lot 10.