Sir Frank Brangwyn R.A. (British 1867-1956)

Sir Frank Brangwyn R.A. (British 1867-1956)
The Galleon
c.1920s
inlaid marquetry panel
produced and published by The Rowley Gallery, London
panel 71 x 76cm
framed
ARR

Provenance: Rowley Gallery, London, according to label verso
Thence by family descent

Note: The Rowley Gallery was established in 1898 by Albert James Rowley and his wife Emma Albert Rowley. The son of an ecclesiastical woodcarver, Rowley conceived the gallery to specialise in picture framing, restoration and gilding alongside making small exhibitions of paintings. The gallery quickly expanded into the production of inlaid wood panels and decorative furniture. At first, these panels were adaptations of existing paintings, but the gallery soon began commissioning original designs.

Albert Rowley grew up in Hammersmith an area home to an artistic community including Frank Brangwyn. It was here that the two first met, forming a lasting professional relationship.

Brangwyn, already a celebrated painter and printmaker, became a regular contributor to the Rowley Gallery’s decorative programme. His bold, dynamic compositions translated beautifully into marquetry, aligning with the ideals of the Arts and Crafts movement. He was the most famous artist working with Rowley and soon became their most sought after work. In 1931, Brangwyn collaborated with the gallery on a prestigious commission for twelve decorative panels for the ocean liner Empress of Britain. Two years later, in 1933, he designed a series of marquetry panels for the Rowley Gallery’s shop on Kensington Church Street- cementing his intrinsic connection to the gallery.

This panel, depicting a galleon, reflects Brangwyn’s long-standing fascination with maritime subjects. Ships and seafaring themes appear frequently throughout his oeuvre, often rendered with a dramatic sense of movement and architectural solidity. Here, the galleon is robust, its sails and flags billowing with wind. The rich and complex detail speak to both Brangwyn's admiration for craftsmanship and his romantic view of the sea as a stage for human endeavour. A closely related marquetry panel titled The Galleon is held in the collection of the Cecil Higgins Art Gallery (now The Higgins Bedford).

While Brangwyn is best known for his paintings and etchings, his forays into the decorative arts were both prolific and influential. He designed for stained glass, textiles, ceramics, furniture, and even light fixtures- always with a distinctive, monumental aesthetic that bridged the Arts and Crafts movement with a broader, modern sensibility.