The New York Stoneware Collection of Warren F. Hartmann

Warren Hartmann is one of the most important collectors, scholars and dealers of New York stoneware of the past half-century. Many of you reading this have known Warren for ages, but if you're a newer collector or have never had an interest in early New York State and Manhattan stoneware, Warren's contributions to the field have been immense. A lot of you are perhaps most familiar with the website he ran for many years, earlyamericanstoneware.com. There Warren sold numerous very fine examples of primarily New York stoneware, and this was a punctuation mark on a long career of selling, studying and cataloguing American stoneware, which began in 1971. Two important articles of Warren's come to mind as groundbreaking ones that really impacted the field: "The Stoneware of Early Albany: A Mystery Solved" in Ceramics in America 2012 and "A Group of Early Albany Stoneware", which appeared in the 2007 Paul Cushman: The Work and World of an Early 19th Century Albany Potter book.

But above all of this, Warren has been a constant presence in the stoneware collecting world, one of relatively few figures who stand out as key dealers and researchers. Warren's work on Albany and Athens stoneware in particular was extremely noteworthy, and having the opportunity to chat with him about those topics was always extremely enlightening.

We are extremely privileged to be selling Warren's long-term collection as part of our Spring 2024 auction, the majority of which will be sold as lots 148-199, with a few other lots of assorted pottery also included as lots 452-453 and 508-510. We are grateful to Warren for entrusting his collection with us and thank him for the very many years he has given this hobby.

Outstanding Two-Gallon Stoneware Jug with Incised Vulture in Branch Decoration, Incised "VULTU[R]ED," Albany, NY area, early 19th century.

Very Rare Three-Gallon Cobalt-Decorated Stoneware Jar with Incised Face and Floral Decorations, Albany, NY area, early 19th century.

Extremely Rare and Fine Small-Sized Stoneware Presentation Jar with Elaborate Cobalt Vine Decoration, Inscribed "EM 1791," Abraham Mead, Greenwich, CT, 1791.