Santo Domingo large storage jar, undated. but has a zip code as part of the signature so July 1, 1963 or later.

Maker: Rafaelita Aguilar

Storage Jar                                

1859

David Drake

Artist, American, c. 1801 - 1870s

    This graceful jar is simple in design, beautiful in execution, and prominently signed Dave by its creator. Such a bold claim to authorship might not seem unusual to us today. After all, the object shows incredible skill, and the potter should be justly proud. We should note, however, that this storage vessel was made by an enslaved Black man at a ceramics manufactory in South Carolina in 1859. It was crafted during a time when it was unlawful to teach enslaved workers to read and write. Dave took risks to announce his identity as he practiced his art.

🆕We’ve got a new mold, so get ready for another batch of our pineapple house storage jars🍍. If you missed the first drop, this is your sign!⚡️

The Amazonian queen Penthesilea is one of Mary Beard’s top five powerful women in ancient Greece and Rome She is shown on this storage jar, wearing a leopard skin and a crested helmet, captured just at the moment she is killed by the mythical hero Achilles. The Amazons were a wild race of warrior women, and women only, who were believed by the Greeks to live somewhere on the northern borders of the Greek world. They were entirely mythical, but were still capable of striking fear into the hearts of Greek men, always representing a potentially deadly threat to male civilisation. This 6th-century BC pot shows Achilles plunging his spear into Penthesilea’s throat, a stream of blood gushing from the wound. According to myth, at the moment Penthesilea died, she and Achilles fell in love. Storage jar showing Achilles killing the Amazon queen, Penthesilea. Attica (Greece), c. 530 BC. Read more: http://ow.ly/eQay50NbRgF

(Source: The British Museum Facebook page)

Multi-tier storage jar for kitchen storage. You can store tea, spices, dry goods, and more. YOU can buy it in layers.

The exceptionally large size and form of this storage jar are testaments to the craftsmanship of its maker, David Drake, who was one of the thousands of enslaved Black artists and artisans in the United States. Drake expressed his creativity through poetry as well as pottery, inscribing many of his pieces with original writing which often referenced the Bible. In addition to his signature, Drake marked this jar with the couplet: “Good for lard or holding fresh meat, blest we were when Peter saw the folded sheet.” Find this work in our American galleries during your next visit.