'Marian Ellis Rowan (1848-1922) was a prolific artist, producing an estimated 3,000 paintings during her remarkable career. From 1912, in addition to her original paintings, Rowan's depictions of native Australian flora were reproduced by the highly regarded artists at the Royal Worcester Porcelain Works in England. These were commissioned by Flavelle Brothers Ltd (1846-1920), one of Australia's leading jewellers and ceramic importers. The Brisbane branch of Flavelle Brothers Ltd. (established in 1861) became Flavelle, Roberts and Sankey Ltd in 1891 and continued in business until 1949. Royal Worcester wares decorated with Australian motifs are a significant focus of the Kennedy Collection which has been recently acquired by the National Museum of Australia, Canberra. This paper explores the association between the artist and the jewellers, and a further connection with the Queensland commercial artist, Douglas Annand.' (Publication abstract)
