Stoneware storage jar by David Drake (Dave the Potter)

David Drake, an enslaved man in Edgefield, South Carolina, produced large stoneware jars using local white kaolin clay and water from nearby rivers. Like others in the Edgefield region, Drake finished his pottery with an alkaline glaze. Remarkable for their size and craftsmanship, many of Drake’s pots, including this one, also bear the artist’s signature and a date. Some even feature poems written by him. At a time when literacy was forbidden for enslaved individuals, Drake’s poetic inscriptions are extraordinary. The resulting pots are functional objects and aesthetic marvels. Drake has served as an inspiration to contemporary artists who work in ceramics and incorporate history into their abstract artworks, including Theaster Gates, Adebunmi Gbadebo, and Simone Leigh.