Overview
- The museum deaccessioned both 1857 vessels on October 16 and transferred ownership to the Dave the Potter Legacy Trust before repurchasing the Poem Jar on October 23.
- The second work, a signed jar from 1857, remains owned by Drake’s heirs under a long-term loan that keeps it at the MFA for at least two years.
- The repurchased Poem Jar now carries a certificate of ethical ownership and is currently on view in the MFA’s Art of the Americas Wing.
- The MFA said this marks its first resolution of an ownership claim for art wrongfully taken under slavery and updated the provenance to note Drake’s lack of control or payment.
- Drake’s descendants, represented by attorney George Fatheree, formed a legacy trust and are contacting other museums and private collectors to pursue similar agreements.