ROLLS-ROYCE COMMEMORATES 150 YEARS SINCE THE BIRTH OF CHARLES SYKES – AutoMart Canada

CHARLES ROBINSON SYKES: 18 DECEMBER 1875 – 6 JUNE 1950

• Rolls-Royce remembers Charles Sykes, born 150 years ago on 18
  December 1875
• A gifted artist and sculptor, best known for creating the Spirit
  of Ecstasy mascot
• The marque’s original creative soul, who introduced artistry as a
  defining element of Rolls-Royce
• Many works held in the collection of the world-renowned V&A
  Museum, London

“Charles Rolls, with his competitive spirit and daredevil attitude
to life, was the heart of Rolls-Royce. Henry Royce, the meticulous
and driven engineer, was its mind. But the figure with the strongest
claim to be its first soul is Charles Robinson Sykes. Best known as
the sculptor who created the Spirit of Ecstasy, Sykes was a
multifaceted and prolific artist whose work is still held in high
regard 150 years after his birth. He was the first of the marque’s
foundational figures to bring artistry and creativity to
Rolls-Royce, a legacy that endures today in our ever more ambitious
and elaborate Bespoke and Coachbuild work. That his most famous
piece represents only a fraction of a rich, varied body of work
speaks to the breadth of his talent.”

Andrew Ball, Head of Corporate Relations, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars celebrates the
150^th anniversary of the birth of one of the most important
individuals in the marque’s foundation story: Charles Robinson Sykes.
A gifted artist, illustrator and sculptor, Sykes was best known for
creating the Spirit of Ecstasy mascot, which has gracefully guided
Rolls-Royce motor cars since 1911. Today, his work is recognised as
the moment artistry and emotional expression first became part of the
marque’s identity – a contribution that shaped the creative spirit
still evident in every Rolls-Royce motor car.

To commemorate this anniversary, Rolls-Royce explores his life
and lasting influence on the marque.

Charles Robinson Sykes was born on 18December 1875 in Brotton, a
mining village near Saltburn, in what is now North Yorkshire, England.
Encouraged by his father and uncle, both talented amateur artists, he
decided to pursue a professional career, and began his artistic
training at Rutherford Art College in Newcastle. In 1898, he won a
scholarship to the Royal College of Art in London, where he studied
drawing, painting and sculpture. After graduating, he remained in the
capital, where he quickly established himself as a multitalented artist.

His skill as a draughtsman is evident in the large collection of
his drawings, paintings and cartoons held in the collection of the
world-renowned V&A Museum, London. These include beautifully
detailed designs for horse-racing trophies, vases and bowls, and
atmospheric illustrations for magazine covers and advertisements,
produced under the pseudonym ‘Rilette’. His talent for sculpture was
formally recognised when his bronze, A Bacchante, was
exhibited to considerable acclaim at the Royal Academy of Arts (RA) in
London and the Paris Salon.

In 1902, Sykes was commissioned by a magazine publisher to
produce some sketches. Unable to pay in cash, the client introduced
him to John Montagu, later 2nd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu, who at that
time was attempting to launch his own glossy weekly magazine, The
Car Illustrated.

With Sykes providing ‘Illustrated’ elements from cover artwork
to fashion drawings, the magazine flourished. It was one of the first
to print images in full colour, and Sykes took full advantage of the
new creative opportunities this offered him. He had a particular
interest in Greek mythology, and often introduced classical references
into his work.

Sykes’s artwork soon caught the attention of Claude Johnson,
known simply as ‘CJ’, the first commercial managing director of
Rolls-Royce. He commissioned six original Sykes oils for the company’s
1910-11 Catalogue, depicting Rolls-Royce motor cars arriving at venues
and occasions befitting the marque’s aristocratic patrons. These
images framed Rolls-Royces not simply as engineering achievements, but
as a source of elegance and experience – an early expression of what
was to follow. The marque also bought the copyright to other works
showing Rolls-Royces driving at dusk, arriving at the top of a steep
hill and effortlessly overcoming a snowstorm – real concerns for
drivers of the day.

Soon afterwards, Sykes took on what would be his most famous and
enduring commission: an official Rolls-Royce mascot. The company
described the winged figurine as “a graceful little goddess”, in which
Sykes perfectly captured, “the spirit of ecstasy, who has selected
road travel as her supreme delight and alighted on the prow of a
Rolls-Royce car to revel in the freshness of the air, and the musical
sound of her fluttering draperies”. Through this work, Sykes
introduced a new dimension to the marque – the idea that a motor car
could possess not only technical excellence, but also grace, elegance
and serenity.

In creating the figurine, Sykes played a crucial role in
establishing Rolls-Royce’s defining characteristics. From the
daredevil racing driver, pioneering balloonist and record-breaking
aviator Charles Rolls, the marque acquired its spirit of endeavour,
always seeking to set new standards for performance, comfort and
excellence. And if Rolls was the company’s heart, then Henry Royce –
analytical, meticulous, restless, innovative – was its mind; the
intellectual foundation of everything it produced.

Sykes was the company’s soul; he brought artistry and creativity
to the brand, which finds their expression today in ever more
elaborate and ambitious Bespoke and Coachbuild commissions. And
through his paintings and the Spirit of Ecstasy, he played a defining
role in shaping the mystique and mythology that still surrounds
Rolls-Royce to this day.

Charles Sykes died in 1950; though best remembered for his
contribution to Rolls-Royce, he enjoyed a long, varied and successful
artistic career, leaving a substantial, diverse and delightful body of
work that is still highly regarded 150 years after his birth.