Rowley, A. J. (1901-1944)
Rowley, A. J.
London; picture framer, carver, gilder, marquetry maker, decorative artist for furniture (fl.1901-44)
Albert James Rowley was born in 1876 in West London; his father, James, was a decorative designer. Albert James was educated at St Paul's, Hammersmith and the census listed him as a picture frame maker (1901) and as picture dealer and frame maker (1911), at both dates working on his own account. Rowley was based at 11 Silver Street, High Road, Kensington 1900-02 and by 1916 the premises had been renamed 140 Church Street, Kensington. The business provided picture framing, carving & gilding, restoration services and exhibited paintings. In 1909 Rowley was initiated into Paxton Lodge, Grand Lodge of England Freemasons. He travelled from Southampton to Genoa in 1935. The 1939 census recorded Rowley as a director of a decorative art gallery and The Rowley Gallery was continued after his death in 1944 by his son, Lawrence. For a full history of the Gallery, click here.
Rowley’s intarsia inlaid work was exhibited at the 1916 Arts & Crafts Exhibition; a cabinet designed by Frank Brangwyn(472), mirror in frame designed by Robert Anning Bell (475A) and two door panels designed by William Arthur Chase (479A & 498A). The Studio, 1916, praised these exhibits as possessing ‘real decorative value and promise interesting developments’.
To designs of Brangwyn, Rowley’s panels are now featured in several public collections; Hollyoaks at the William Morris Gallery and The Galleon at the Cecil Higgins Art Gallery, Bedford. The V&A collections include two pieces designed by W. Chase and decorated with panels and finished by Rowley. The first in the collection is a mirror made 1915-16:

Rectangular mirror in gilt frame with inlaid marquetry panel of various woods, partly coloured, representing a cottage with landscape and figure. Designed by W. A. Chase and made by A. J. Rowley, 1915-16 [W.31-1916]. Given by A .J. Rowley. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The other Rowley object is an ebonised three-fold screen of the early 1920s (Circ.778-1968).

A three-fold screen in ebonised wood with gilt gesso surround and oval marquetry panels in coloured woods. The marquetry panels contain a figure in a landscape of trees and columns; the left hand panel has a female with a basket on her head, the central panel has a boy leading an elephant with a "howdah". The right hand panel has a female figure leading a cheetah. Designed by William Arthur Chase and made by the Rowley Gallery, probably in London, 1920-1925 [CIRC.778-1968]. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Rowley also specialised in silver gesso work on furniture and he was probably the Mr Rowley who was subcontracted by the Heal’s cabinet factory to carry out decorative work on weathered oak. Heal’s accounts note Rowley as having applied silver gesso to a special commissioned wardrobe in 1930 and a chest of drawers made by the Factory for another client in 1931. Another collaboration with Brangwyn came in 1938 when Rowley provided twelve silver leafed gesso panels which Brangwyn painted for the liner The Empress of Britain.
The Gallery’s picture frames include those for paintings by Harold Speed, Edward Wadsworth and Hannah Gluckstein at the National Portrait Gallery.
Sources: Aslin, ‘Changing Taste and Influences, English Design 1900-1940’, The Bulletin of the Decorative Arts Society 1890-1940 (1977); Heal, Sir Ambrose Heal and the Heal Cabinet Factory 1897-1939 (2014).
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