Wedgwood medallion made from dark grey clay from Sydney Cove, 1789

The Sydney Cove Medallion collection consists of a single original issue Wedgwood medallion made in 1789 from clay from Sydney Cove. It is a key object through which we can examine the links between Australia and England. The medallion was designed by Henry Webber with the final finishing of the moulds done by William Hackwood, Josiah Wedgwood’s principal modeller. The full title of the medallion is ‘Hope encouraging Art and Labour, under the influence of Peace, to pursue the employments necessary to give security and happiness to an infant settlement’, however it was sometimes referred to by the Wedgwood family by the more manageable title of ‘the Botany Bay medal’. The medallion documents a number of significant themes from the Australian colonial period.