Aside from the aesthetic appeal of this object, it was the early date of manufacture that was so desirable - dated "12 April 1836," as well as inscribed "Catination."
According to an article written by Arthur Goldberg and Jim Witkowski published in the 2006 edition of Ceramics in America, titled, "Beneath His Magic Touch: The Dated Vessels of the African-American Slave Potter Dave, "This is the eighth earliest known dated work from Dave and the fourth earliest known to hold a dated inscription." It is believed to be a companion work of the earliest known scripted piece dated "June 12 1834," inscribed with the phrase "Concatination."
Interestingly, it was earlier this year that Crocker Farm in Sparks, Maryland set the previous auction record for a piece of southern pottery and Dave's work when an eight gallon jar sold for $216,000 including the auction premium. That jar was inscribed "Lm / Decr. 17 1857 / Dave."
Although, I can only image what the monumental stoneware jar made by Dave currently displayed in the Americana Wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City would sell for in today's marketplace. That jar is inscribed "this jar is to Mr Segler who keeps the bar in orangeburg / for Mr Edwards a Gentle man / who formerly kept / Mr thos bacons horses / April 21 1858 / when you fill this jar with pork or beef / Scot will be there; to get a piece, / Dave."
Other outstanding examples of Dave's work can be found in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., the Art Museums at Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, the William and Susan Mariner Southern Ceramics Gallery at the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, among other museums, as well.
About Dave Drake
The history of Dave Drake is compelling: he was born into slavery in 1800 in the Edgefield District in South Carolina; although, he is thought to have been born to the plantation owner, Harry Drake, a religious man, who may have taught some of his slaves to read and write to help with their religious studies. There is also some evidence that suggests Dave may have lost a leg in an accident in his younger years, but I do not have evidence to prove this other than reading about it.
Dave reportedly learned the potter's trade at a young age from white men of European descent employed where he lived as a slave in South Carolina. His original poems were usually related to the vessel's use, religion or a family member. Examples of Dave's unsigned work are sometimes attributed to him today by either the "Lm" mark or two incised slashes sometimes placed carefully unobtrusively on the pot
I would describe Dave as a master potter, who occasionally threw huge vessels, which were intended to hold gallons of material not regularly found in this size from potters who worked elsewhere in America in the nineteenth century. The skill and raw strength it took to throw some of these forms is remarkable; whereas, Dave can even be considered today as the kind of person who's life manifested into folk lore and legend.
In a historical context, Dave was an educated enslaved potter, who could read and write, but he was also an artist and a poet in a tumultuous period laying witness to America's Civil War among other historical events. Nevertheless, I can only imagine that some of Dave's work must have been destroyed during the war.
Early Dated Example of Dave Drake's Stoneware from Edgefield, South Carolina
19th Century Alkaline Glazed Stoneware Jar Attributed to Dave Drake in Edgefield, SC
Dated "12 April 1836" as well as Inscribed "Catination"
Just Sold for $369,000 Including the Buyer's Premium at Brunk Auctions in NC
See Article for More Information
Photo Courtesy: Brunk Auctions
Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...
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