Bowdoin College Museum of Art

Preview image of work. alkaline-glazed stoneware, Jar 41637

2020.40

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Jar

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Artists

David Drake (Dave Pottery; Dave the Potter) (1801 – 10/28/1865, Edgefield, Couth Carolina); Lewis Miles ; Unrecorded Enslaved Potter

Title

Jar

Creation Date

Lewis J. Miles Stony Bluff Manufactory [plantation], attributed to Edgefield, South Carolina, ca. 1848-1867

Century

mid-19th century

Dimensions

12 1/4 in. (31.12 cm)

Object Type

ceramic

Creation Place

North America, United States, South Carolina

Medium and Support

alkaline-glazed stoneware

Credit Line

Museum Purchase, Lloyd O. and Marjorie Strong Coulter Fund

Copyright

This artwork may be under copyright. For further information, please consult the Museum’s Copyright Terms and Conditions.

Accession Number

2020.40

During the nineteenth century, enslaved African Americans created pottery in large-scale production on plantations in Edgefield County in western South Carolina, known for its rich clay deposits. This jar's form, handles, and distinctive rim are characteristic of Edgefield wares, and the alkaline glaze, produced by a mixture of clay and ash or lime, derives from a technique used by ancient potters of China, Japan, and Korea. While the potter's identity is currently unknown, nearly 3,000 enslaved craftsmen have been identified with Edgefield production. Stony Bluff is noted as the manufactory where an enslaved artisan named David Drake did his most creative work and some can be positively attributed. However, it is not possible to know if this jar is one of his pots.