Newark Museum Is Latest Art Institution to Transfer Ownership of David Drake Vessel

The latest institution to transfer its ownership of a David Drake vessel in its collection is New Jersey’s Newark Museum of Art, which said on Thursday that the artist’s descendants were given possession of an 1852 jug.

Other museums have undertaken a similar measure, from the Museum of Fine Arts Boston to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. But the Newark Museum said in its release that, unlike past ownership transfers, this one was initiated by the institution, which reached out to Drake’s descendants, rather than the other way around.

Drake is now widely recognized for the stoneware jugs he produced during the 19th century in Edgefield, South Carolina. He was born into enslavement and achieved freedom sometime after the Civil War. The jugs, which memorably figured in a 2022 Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition, sometimes bore written messages whose meaning has often been debated. One vessel by him topped ARTnews’s list of the best artworks about America earlier this year.

The Newark Museum work was inscribed with the date “March 14, 1852,” and was signed by Drake—under a version of his first name, Dave—along with the initials LM. Those initials reference Lewis Miles, on whose plantation Drake was enslaved. It is displayed galleries for 18th- and 19th-century American art, and will remain on view while the ownership is transferred.

Over the summer, the museum reached out to Drake’s descendants. A release said that now, “with full support of the board of trustees,” the jug’s ownership was given over to the family and subsequently repurchased.

Lisa Funderbunke, the Newark Museum’s director and CEO, said in a statement, “We are deeply grateful to David Drake’s descendants for their trust and partnership. Restoring ownership of this work is an important act of justice, one that is rooted in accountability, repair and healing, and reflects the values guiding NMOA’s next chapter. As the Museum enters a new era, we are honored to continue sharing Drake’s legacy with the public in partnership with his family.”

Yaba Barker, Drake’s fourth great-grandson, said in a statement, “For over 175 years, our ancestor’s vessels have carried stories and history that must be told. Thanks to this agreement, our family’s mission for Dave’s work to be accessible to the public, and for viewers to recognize us as Dave’s heirs and owners of his legacy, is being fulfilled by Newark Museum’s leadership, and we are so grateful.”

Though the Newark Museum did not report a price for repurchasing the jug, Eileen Kinsella reported in the Art Newspaper that the transaction will cost “around $135,000,” a figure that is considerably lower than Drake’s auction record.