The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston has restituted two large-scale ceramic vessels by David Drake, an enslaved potter, to his known descendants. The works—a "Poem Jar" and a "Signed Jar," both from 1857—were acquired by the museum in 1997 and 2011 respectively. On October 16, the MFA deaccessioned the jars and transferred ownership to Drake's descendants via the Dave the Potter Legacy Trust. The museum then repurchased the "Poem Jar," which re-entered the collection on October 23, while the "Signed Jar" remains with the family on long-term loan to the museum. The decision followed discussions prompted by the exhibition "Hear Me Now: The Black Potters of Old Edgefield, South Carolina," co-organized with the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
This restitution marks the first time the MFA Boston has resolved an ownership claim for artworks wrongfully taken under slavery in 19th-century America. The museum likened the process to its Nazi-looted art restitution efforts, acknowledging that Drake was deprived of his creations involuntarily and without compensation. The case sets a significant precedent for how museums address the legacy of enslaved artists and the ethical ownership of works created under coercion. It also highlights Drake's historical importance as the earliest known enslaved potter to inscribe his vessels, at a time when literacy among enslaved people was illegal.