Extremely Rare Five-Gallon Alkaline-Glazed Stoneware Jug, Inscribed "Lm / March 31, 1852 / Dave," David Drake at Lewis Miles's Stony Bluff Manufactory, Horse Creek Valley, Edgefield District, SC, 1852, highly-ovoid jug with applied strap handle, the surface covered in a mottled-green alkaline glaze with opaque, gray-green runs descending from the shoulder. Incised in script on the front, "Lm / march 31-1852 / Dave." Reverse shoulder with incised horseshoe above five incised punctates representing five gallons. This previously-undocumented work is one of a small number of double-handled jugs produced by enslaved African-American potter, David Drake. At the time of publication of Goldberg and Witkowski's Ceramics in America 2006 article, "Beneath His Magic Touch: The Dated Vessels of the African-American Slave Potter Dave," 169 dated Drake vessels were documented, only ten of which were double-handled jugs. Awareness of Drake as an artist continues to broaden as he is currently represented in the Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibit, "Hear Me Now: The Black Potters of Old Edgefield, South Carolina." A rarely-seen David Drake form featuring the potter's signature, his distinctive, robust potting style, and a dynamic glaze. Provenance: A fresh-to-the-market example, which descended in the family of the consignor. Missing spout and one handle. Minor surface wear. A shallow 3/4" base chip and shallow 3/8" base chip. A very minor surface flake to shoulder on reverse. H 16 3/8".
