Page 20 - BBR magazine 140 - 30yrs issue

I recently acquired this early pontilled flint glass perfumers’ bottle for my collection embossed ‘R/
ROWNEY/ 106/ HATTON/
GARDEN’, dating to the period 1801-1811.
The Rowney brothers, Thomas (c.1760-1832) and Richard (1764-1824) originally came from Evesham, in Worcestershire, to London where they were perfumers, wig suppliers and would became most well known as colourmen (Rowney paints are still sold in art stores today).
Accounts of their business origins
are confused, but it's believed
Thomas Rowney began his career
as a lawyer before starting to supply
law officers with a variety of writing
and other supplies including wigs.
During the late 1770's the brothers
were living in London; Richard
married Ann Hudson at St Pancras old church on 1st November 1778, & Thomas married Ann Mayne at the same church two months later on 19th January 1779.
By 1783 they were established at 95 Holborn Hill. Richard Rowney traded initially as a jeweller and silversmith, two of his silver marks are recorded, the first entered as a 'small worker' on 1st April 1785. In 1793 he advertised that he was selling up his stock-in-trade, & ‘on-going into the wholesale perfumery business’,
giving Holborn Hill as the address of T & R. Rowney.
Above: Image of the ‘Rowney & Co/ Artist’s/ Colour Men’ building.
Left: The heavily embossed flint glass pontilled perfumers bottle ‘R/ Rowney/ 106/ Hatton/
Garden.’ Below L: close up of the actual pontil.
Above: This Stoneware bottle is impressed ‘SURGEON MURRAY’S/ PATENT’ and ‘EX’. Apart from the crude early look the EX tells us this is a bottle dating to 1817-34: an excise duty during those years charged on stoneware bottles required them to be stamped with 'EX'. But who was the surgeon?
They also stocked Reeves & Sons artists colours in 1799 and those of George Blackman the following year. The brother's trade card, with royal coat of arms and Prince of Wales feathers, advertised ‘ T. & R. ROWNEY, Perfumers, Pocket Book Makers, Cutlers, Comb Makers, & Superfine Patent Pallet Water Colour Preparers, to their Majesties, the Prince of Wales, & Royal Family. No.95 Holborn Hill London. WHOLESALE & FOR EXPORTATION ’. They
achieved notable success, supplying famous artists such as Constable and Turner. Indeed, Turner was a family friend for whom the company became the appointed official lithographers. The partnership between Thomas and Richard Rowney as wholesale
Above: The surgeon Sir James Murray.
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Aults Vaults