Documenting Democracy
Australia's Story

fit screen width  |  full size

Figures on the medallion made by Josiah Wedgwood

The figures on the medallion made by Josiah Wedgwood from clay brought back from Sydney Cove in 1789, represent Hope greeting Peace, Art and Labour. Britain's vision for Australia, explained in Erasmus Darwin's accompanying verse, became a founding image of the progress of the Australian colonies under the rule of law. The most recent use of this image was the commemorative plaque for the opening of the Opera House in Sydney in 1986.
[This depiction of the Wedgwood medallion is from an 1892 painted glass door panel in the Chief Secretary's Building in Sydney]
Related documents