Lot 351
A Large Edgefield Five Gallon Storage Jar, attributed to David Drake, or "Dave the Potter" (American/South Carolina, early 19th c.), signed "L.M." at lip, mottled brown and olive green glaze, height 15 1/2 in., diameter 9 in., with a "Harmer Rooke Galleries, New York City" label on interior. Exhibition History: Sankofa: A Celebration of African-American Arts and Crafts, 1790-1930 The Harriet Tubman Museum, Macon, GA, October 31, 1993-January 17, 1994; DuSable Museum of African-American History, Chicago, IL, 1994; The Maryland Historical Society, Baltimore, MD, October 1-December 30, 1995; Louisiana State Museum, New Orleans, LA, 1995 Note: Alternately known as "Dave the Potter," "Dave the Slave," and "David Drake" (a name which he took from one of his owners), the enslaved African-American potter who signed his name simply "Dave" on his works has been an interesting figure in the history of Edgefield, South Carolina. His whimsical poems, often incised on the sides of the vessels he created, l ft a significant amount of historical data for future generations to study, increasing the interest in this enigmatic man; several books have been written on the subject of Dave himself and on Edgefield Pottery in general. This jar bears the signature "L.M.," for Lewis Miles, one of his owners and the founder of a pottery in Edgefield; Dave often signed his works with just these letters, omitting his own signature. Reference: Todd, Leonard. Carolina Clay: The Life and Legend of the Slave Potter Dave. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2008.
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