English Rare Rolls-Royce Kneeling Spirit of Ecstasy Chrome Bronze Mascot Signed C. Sykes & Dated 26.1.34

Details

Description

English Rare 1934 Rolls-Royce Kneeling “Spirit of Ecstasy” Mascot – Signed C. Sykes & Dated 26.1.34
Introduction
This listing is … Read more English Rare 1934 Rolls-Royce Kneeling “Spirit of Ecstasy” Mascot – Signed C. Sykes & Dated 26.1.34
Introduction
This listing is for a superb early 20th-century Art Deco original kneeling Spirit of Ecstasy mascot, designed by the celebrated sculptor Charles Robinson Sykes and dated 26 January 1934. It is the sought-after sporting (kneeling) version of the Rolls-Royce mascot – a beautifully modelled small sculpture in its own right and a genuine rarity, especially in signed and dated form with respected auction-house provenance.

Description & Form
The figure represents Eleanor, the famous model for the Rolls-Royce mascot, in a dramatic kneeling pose. She leans forward into the wind, arms swept back so that her flowing drapery billows out behind her like wings. The modelling is crisp and full of movement: folds of drapery swirl around her legs, the torso twists with the forward momentum, and the face retains a surprisingly sensitive expression for such a small object.
You can feel with your fingertips how finely the cloak thins at the edges, and how Sykes has used rippling surfaces to evoke speed and air rushing past the body.
The piece is cast in metal and finished in chrome plate, giving it a cold, weighty, engineered quality that perfectly suits the mechanical glamour of a Rolls-Royce radiator. This is the lower kneeling Spirit of Ecstasy introduced by Rolls-Royce in the 1930s for its new sporting saloons, designed to give drivers a clearer view of the road over the bonnet.
Sykes was commissioned once again by the company to redesign his famous emblem, and he responded with this elegant, swept-back figure, unveiled on 26 January 1934 – the exact date inscribed on the base of this example. The kneeling version remained in use for only a relatively short period before the firm reverted to a reduced standing mascot, so correctly signed kneeling mascots are far less common on the market than later standing figures and modern service replacements.
Around the lower side of the base you can clearly read the incised signature “C. Sykes”, together with the date “26.1.34”. The underside retains the original threaded fitting, allowing the mascot to be re-mounted on a car if desired. Equally, it stands beautifully as a free-standing sculpture on a desk, shelf or display plinth. In the hand it has an excellent, concentrated weight – approximately 400 grams unwrapped – reflecting the quality of the casting.

Dimensions
Height: approx. 8.5 cm
Base width: approx. 3.2 cm
Length (outstretched foot to trailing edge of cloak): approx. 10 cm
Compact and jewel-like, it nevertheless commands attention thanks to the sweep of the “wings” and the strong diagonal thrust of the pose.

Historical Background & The Love Story
The Spirit of Ecstasy is traditionally associated with the secret love affair between John Walter Edward Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 2nd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu – early motoring pioneer and editor of The Car Illustrated – and his beautiful secretary Eleanor Velasco Thornton, who served as Sykes’s model and muse.
Their relationship, conducted in the Edwardian era against a backdrop of rigid social convention, has become part of Rolls-Royce legend and lends these mascots an emotional charge beyond their decorative and mechanical function.
Sykes first portrayed Eleanor as a private mascot called The Whisper, finger to lips to symbolise their hidden romance. He later refined the idea for Rolls-Royce as the standing Spirit of Ecstasy that became the company’s most famous emblem. In the 1930s he was commissioned again to create this lower, more sporting kneeling version for the new streamlined saloons, giving drivers a clearer view of the road while preserving the sense of elegance, speed and silent power that the Rolls-Royce name represents.

Rarity
Original kneeling Spirit of Ecstasy mascots of this period are widely recognised as scarce. They were produced for a relatively short span of years and were vulnerable to loss, damage and later replacement during a car’s life, unlike modern service mascots which are readily available.
Signed, dated examples by Charles Sykes occupy a higher tier than generic accessory mascots: they are direct works by the original designer and relate closely to pieces in museum collections and major private holdings.

Provenance
This piece comes with attractive and reassuring provenance. It was acquired from a private Berkshire collector, who had previously bought it at a high-end classic-car auction held by the respected auction house Richard Edmonds in the southern shires – a name well known among serious motor and automobilia collectors.
Such provenance – a genuine, signed mascot sourced from a specialist classic-car sale rather than a casual flea-market find – is exactly what discerning buyers look for when comparing examples and assessing authenticity.

Collecting Context & Notable Collectors
Collectors’ interest in Spirit of Ecstasy mascots is strong worldwide. Important private enthusiasts and marque specialists have assembled substantial groups of Sykes mascots over the decades, and notable collections have been sold through international auction houses, where sets of vintage Spirits – including kneeling versions – have achieved significant prices. This underlines the desirability of these diminutive sculptures in their own right, quite apart from the cars to which they were once attached.
Museums such as the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu display early Sykes mascots, including The Whisper and various Spirit of Ecstasy variants, treating them as works of sculpture as much as emblems of the marque. Owning a signed, dated kneeling example places the buyer in distinguished company alongside these private collectors, dealers and institutions, and offers the opportunity to add a museum-grade object to a personal collection or interior.

Why This Piece Stands Out
A perfect blend of beauty, engineering and story: an Art Deco design icon directly linked to Rolls-Royce’s golden age and the romantic legend of Eleanor Thornton.
Ideal as a display piece for a desk, study, library or showroom, bringing instant heritage luxury and a real conversation point even without the car present.
Exactly what serious automobilia collectors seek: early kneeling version, signed and dated by C. Sykes, with respected Richard Edmonds auction provenance and attractive, honest patina. See less