RICHMOND, VA.- On Wednesday, October 7, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) signed a historic agreement with the descendants of enslaved artist David Drake (ca. 1800–ca. 1870) regarding his 1840 stoneware storage jug also known as a “poem” vessel. VMFA has restored ownership of Double-handled Jug to Drake’s descendants and will purchase it back for the museum’s permanent collection in return for an authorized certificate of ethical ownership. The restitution of Drake’s vessel marks the first time that VMFA has resolved an ownership claim for a work of art made under the conditions of slavery.

The agreement was signed by Drake’s oldest living heirs, Ms. Pauline Baker (79), Ms. Daisy Whitner (87), and Mr. Johnny Williams (84) in a ceremony that included remarks by Mr. Drake’s fourth great-grandson Yaba Baker, advisor to Mr. Drake’s descendants George Fatheree III, VMFA Director and CEO Alex Nyerges, and Dr. Susan J. Rawles, VMFA’s Elizabeth Locke Associate Curator of American Decorative Arts. Witnesses to the signing included other members of the Williams family (Mr. Drake’s heirs), and museum leadership.

Drake’s descendants began communications with VMFA regarding Double-handled Jug in February 2026. Consistent with VMFA’s values and mission, and with the full support of the Board of Trustees, VMFA agreed to the ethical restitution and repurchase of Drake’s highly important Double-Handled Jug. VMFA joins other institutions, such as the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the Georgia Museum of Art in Athens, Ga.; the Telfair Museums in Savannah, Ga., and the Milwaukee Art Museum, in reaching an agreement with Drake’s descendants concerning the return or ethical ownership of Drake’s artwork in its collection. The action supports the family’s ongoing efforts to reclaim Drake’s artistic, cultural and historic legacy.

“With this historic restitution and repurchase, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts hopes to contribute to the recognition of Drake’s remarkable artistic achievements and honor his dignity and memory,” said VMFA Director and CEO Alex Nyerges.

“My family is deeply grateful to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts for its partnership and ongoing stewardship of Dave’s historic poem jar,” said Yaba Baker, David Drake’s 4th great-grandson. “For our family, this agreement goes far beyond ownership of this vessel. It honors David Drake as our ancestor, whose voice, skill and creativity have endured for more than 175 years. Dave risked life and limb, breaking strict literacy laws to create this artwork, which reflects his bravery, tenacity and spirit. We are thrilled that by continuing to showcase his work at VMFA, visitors will continue to learn from and be inspired by Dave’s enduring legacy.”

“From our very first conversation, VMFA’s leadership expressed a strong and urgent commitment to returning this work to Mr. Drake’s family,” said advisor to Mr. Drake’s descendants George Fatheree III. “On behalf of Mr. Drake’s family, we are deeply grateful to Alex Nyerges and Caprice Bragg for their steadfast commitment to doing what is right. Less than a year ago, no U.S. museum had applied the principles of ethical restitution to artwork created by enslaved Americans. With the Virginia Museum of Fine Art’s announcement, five major U.S. museums have now demonstrated what it looks like to live by their values and take meaningful action towards justice.”

The two-handled jug is the first recorded signed and dated poem vessel produced by David Drake. It was acquired by VMFA in September 2017 and has been on continuous display in the American Art Galleries ever since. Standing nearly eighteen inches tall, this jar has a rounded form with strapwork handles. Only a few Drake wares with this form are known.

One of only 40 identified, signed and dated poem wares by Drake, this vessel gives evidence of the artist’s ability to read and write. Although a few enslaved persons were taught to read in the early decades of the 19th century, writing became illegal throughout the Southern states because it allowed enslaved individuals to plan rebellion against their owners. The circumstances under which Drake produced these works at the Lewis J. Miles factory are unknown, and as he made them under the conditions of slavery, it is unlikely that any remuneration received was commensurate with his talents. Following emancipation, Drake continued to produce ceramic wares but no longer inscribed them, suggesting he used his skills as a poet to defy the inhumane conditions of slavery and proclaim his selfhood during a period when it was not acknowledged.

As with many of Drake’s poem pieces, the inscription on the surface of this jug highlights the various activities occupying plantation and factory life in the Edgefield District of South Carolina where he lived. The work is signed “L. Miles Dave,” recording the artist’s name as well as that of Lewis Miles, Drake’s enslaver and the owner of the factory where he made the jug. It is also inscribed with the date “January 29th 1840.” The Lewis J. Miles factory, located in Horse Creek Valley, S.C., operated a tannery where leather was prepared for making shoes, which inspired the poem that Drake authored and inscribed on the vessel: “Ladys & gentlemens Shoes = / sell all you can: & nothing you’ll loose.”

Demand for storage vessels such as this jug was high in the Deep South, where large-scale plantations with numerous enslaved laborers required significant quantities of food and drink. This jug with its ribbon-like strapwork handles could have been used to store and pour molasses or other liquids. With its rare inscription, this jug may also have been acquired as a collector’s piece. In either case, it is rare not only because ceramic handles are prone to breakage but also because its two-handled design requires greater skill to make than single-handled works. If the straps are not set symmetrically, the jug will not tip evenly. The perfect symmetry found in this jug speaks to Drake’s immense skills as a ceramicist.

In 2023, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City collaborated on the exhibition, Hear Me Now: The Black Potters of Old Edgefield, South Carolina, which featured the work of David Drake. Following the exhibition, the artist’s descendants came together to rebuild family ties, preserve Drake’s history, and advance restorative justice for his family by requesting, as a matter of principle, the return or repurchase of the artist’s work.

For a history of VMFA’s restitution resolutions, see the “Restitutions and Repatriations” section of the Provenance Research page on the museum’s website: www.vmfa.museum/collection/provenance-research.

As with all purchases of art by the VMFA, the funds for acquisitions are provided by endowments owned and managed by the VMFA Foundation, a private, not-for-profit organization which exists solely to support the mission of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, a state agency. State tax dollars are never used for the acquisition of artwork.