Antique Rolls Royce Spirit of Ecstasy Mascot Signed Circa 1920

An early 20th century Spirit of Ecstasy designed by Charles Sykes, incised Charles Sykesl R.R Ltd 6.2.11 to the base, mounted to a gray rocky marble plinth base, Circa 1924 in date.

The numbers engraved on the base, "5-2-11" are a patent date associated with the original design of the Rolls Royce Spirit of Ecstasy mascot, which was designed by Charles Robinson Sykes. This date indicates whne the design was patented, and it appears on many early classic versions of the emblem.

So this is a Rolls-Royce late Ghost 'Spirit of Ecstasy' mascot after Charles Sykes, dated 1918-1924.

 

An early 20th Century decorative Rolls Royce silvered bronze mascot sculpture, The Spirit of Ecstasy, dating from the mid 20th century.

In 1910 Rolls-Royce slowly became aware that some owners were affixing 'inappropriate' ornaments to their cars. Claude Johnson's brief to Sykes was to sculpt a mascot for Rolls Royce that embodied 'speed with silence, absence of vibration, the mysterious harnessing of great energy and a beautiful living organism of superb grace' to become the standard emblem of the Rolls-Royce brand and it was Sykes' daughter, Jo (born 1908) that believed it was on the road from London to Beaulieu that her father first became 'Very impressed with the smoothness and speed of the Rolls Royce car.... imagining that even so delicate a thing as a fairy could ride on the bonnet without losing her balance.'

In early 1911 Sykes' presented his mascot, entitled "The Spirit of Speed", to Rolls-Royce. This figurine had her arms outstretched behind her and her gaze firmly fixed forward. She was soon retitled "The Spirit of Ecstasy" by Johnson and became the official symbol of Rolls-Royce automobiles on 6th February 1911.

Condition:

In excellent condition, please see photos for confirmation of condition.

Dimensions in cm:

Height 16 cm x Width 11 cm x Depth 13 cm

Dimensions in inches:

Height 6 inches x Width 4 inches x Depth 5 inches

The Spirit of Ecstasy

is the bonnet ornament on Rolls-Royce cars. It is in the form of a woman leaning forwards with her arms outstretched behind and above her. Billowing cloth runs from her arms to her back, resembling wings.

The Spirit of Ecstasy, also called "Emily", "Silver Lady" or "Flying Lady", was designed by English sculptor Charles Robinson Sykes and carries with it a story about secret passion between John Walter Edward Douglas-Scott-Montagu, (second Baron Montagu of Beaulieu after 1905, a pioneer of the automobile movement, and editor of The Car Illustrated magazine from 1902) and the model for the emblem, Eleanor Velasco Thornton. Eleanor (also known as Thorn) was the secretary of John Walter, who fell in love with her in 1902 when she worked for him on the aforesaid motoring magazine. Their secret love was to remain hidden, limited to their circle of friends, for more than a decade. The reason for the secrecy was Eleanor's impoverished social and economic status, which was an obstacle to their love. On the other hand, Montagu was married to Lady Cecil Victoria Constance Kerr since 1889.

Eleanor died on 30 December 1915 when the SS Persia was torpedoed by a U-boat south of Crete. She had been accompanying Lord Montagu who had been directed to assume a command in India. He was thought to have been killed too, but survived and was saved after several days adrift in a life raft.

Our reference: A4630