One of the most important medallic items related to the Atlantic slave trade and one of Denmark’s most iconic medals is now part of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s collections.
Designed by the Danish artist Nicolai Abildgaard and struck in bronze in 1792 fromdies by the Italian medalist Pietro Leonardo Gianelli, the extremely rare piece commemorates that year’s royal edict ending trade in enslaved personson Danish ships. Only a small handful of these medals produced in a variety of metals are known to exist: white metal examples are in Danish museums andothers, held in private collections, were struck in bronze and silver.
“The items of Colonial Williamsburg’s collections capture tangibly ourcomplex, shared history,” said Mitchell B. Reiss, Colonial Williamsburg president and CEO. “In this rare 1792 medal we see an Atlantic power affirming the humanity of a people exploited as property, as well as a foretelling of abolition in America. We welcome our guests 365 days a year-and especially in February during Black History Month-to experience the diverse stories of our nation’s founding.”
In Denmark in 1792, as the move towards banning slavery was taking hold throughout Europe and two years before Congress prohibited the slave trade between the United States and foreign countries, Crown Prince Frederik VI, acting as regent for his mentally unstable father, Christian VII, issued what is considered to be the Prince’s most important proclamation: the Edict of the Abolition of the Slave Trade. This decree made Denmark the first European nation to outlaw trade in enslaved persons on ships flying its
flag, though the measure did not fully take effect until 1802. This medal, made at the beginning of the abolitionist movement on the Europeancontinent, marks a dramatic shift in the way Denmark sought to treat the
enslaved African population in the nation’s Caribbean colonies, the DanishWest Indies.
The male head depicted in profile on the face of the medal is likely the oldest Danish naturalistic portrait of an African. The Latin phrase “Me Miserum” (“Woe is me” or “Poor me”) is imprinted as a border around the profile. The reverse image shows the mythological winged goddess Nemesis, who was thought to be the avenging goddess of divine indignation against and retribution for evil deeds and undeserved good fortune. She is depicted seated and facing forward on a platform decorated with a shield that bears her name while holding an apple branch in one hand and touching her wing with the other. The Latin legends indicate the medal was produced under the Danish King’s law and includes the date of the edict, March 16, 1792.
