The Sprit of Ecstasy – an iconic symbol of the finest
vehicle on earth. Created by sculptor Charles Sykes in 1905, the Spirit of
Ecstasy was first commissioned by Lord Montagu. Montagu wanted a way to
delineate his Rolls-Royce from others, so he enlisted Sykes, a renowned
sculptor, to create this master piece. Thus was born The Whisper.
It Started With a Whisper
The Whisper was Sykes’s first edition of
the Spirit of Ecstasy. It resembled a lady standing on one foot, with her gown
flowing behind her, and holding one finger to her lips as if she was keeping a
secret. There is speculation that Charles Sykes’s muse for this statue was
Eleanor Velasco Thornton, secretary and mistress of Lord Montagu. Although this
is only conjecture, the evidence is strong enough that Rolls-Royce’s modern
Spirit of Ecstasy has followed in The Whisper’s footsteps. We’ll never know for
sure, but we love a good mystery.
The
Early Spirit of Ecstasy
Soon after Sykes created The Whisper,
Rolls-Royce asked Sykes to produce a mascot that would adorne all future
Rolls-Royces. Rolls-Royce Managing Director of the time, Claude Johnson, felt
the statue should convey “The spirit of Rolls-Royce, namely, speed with
silence, absence of vibration, the mysterious harnessing of great energy, and a
beautiful living organism of superb grace…”
Charles Sykes described his creation as “A graceful
little goddess, the Spirit of Ecstasy, who has selected road travel as her
supreme delight and alighted on the prow of a Rolls-Royce motor car to revel in
the freshness of the air and the musical sound of her fluttering draperies.”
Oddly enough, co-founder Charles Royce felt that the Spirit of Ecstasy impaired
the drivers view, and did not enhance the cars in any way.
Today’s Spirit of Ecstasy
Today’s model has been digitally
sculpted to resemble Eleanor Thornton and is hand-cast using the lost-wax
process. This method dates back over 5700 years and is known for its
fine-quality castings. The Spirit of Ecstasy can be stainless steel, 24-carat
gold, frosted crystal, or even studded with diamonds. Whether this sculpture
was inspired by Eleanor Thronton or not, it has adopted the essence of luxury,
craftsmanship, elegance, and even divinity.
quiero uno
ReplyDelete