This isn't so much about the art of an automobile as it is about the art on an automobile… specifically, the Rolls Royce, a brand that features a distinct sculptural element as its hood ornament known as “The Spirit of Ecstasy”. You've probably seen this gal. She was originally plated in silver, though later was typically featured in chrome, but has also been offered in crystal or even gold plated. It’s a statuette of a female leaning forward with her arms flung up and back behind her as her vestments heave and flow around her like wings. Yeah, she makes for a cool and kind of Art Deco style ornament, but did you know that she was an actual person… that is, that she is the sculptural representation of a model named Eleanor Velasco Thornton?
Back in the early 1900’s, Eleanor was having a fling with a guy who was a big wig in the automotive world. So, when Rolls Royce decided they needed a fancy-schmancy ornament to ride atop their radiators, this big shot boyfriend of hers (who eventually married another woman even as he continued his affair with Eleanor) recommended Ms. Velasco Thornton as a model. Thus, the automotive big shot hired his buddy, a sculptor named Charles Robinson Sykes to incorporate Eleanor into the design. It took a few mock ups and prototypes before Sykes came up with the swoopy form of the Spirit of Ecstasy, but eventually, he did, and that’s what Rolls Royces wear on their hoods today…. Well sort of. There have been a few changes made over the years in terms of scale, materials, even tweaks to the form and posture of the figure, but she’s certainly still recognizable.
Here are some images of some Rolls Royce automobiles to feast your eyes upon. Sadly, at the time I took these photos, I lacked the foresight to know that I would need a nice close up shot of the hood ornament, so you’ll have to make due with a zoomed in shot of it. Well, it‘s still nice to think that folks who buy Rolls Royces get a little piece of art with their car in addition to whatever artistry goes into the vehicle’s actual sheet metal.
….Oh, but you don’t think we’re done, do you? Why, I haven’t even launched myself off on a proper tangent yet! And you know I can’t write a blog post without doing that. So, strap in. Away we go.
Since we’re on the topics of ecstasy and artwork, I couldn't possibly conclude this post without bringing up another sculpture that deals with a female form and the matter of ecstasy. There are a surprising number of parallels to be drawn between Rolls Royce brand vehicles and what’s coming up next, in spite of the fact that we’re going to have to jog a bit further back in time and space than the early 1900’s in England (when Rolls Royce gained their Spirit of Ecstasy) to get to it.
Waaaaay back, in fact, to the mid 1600’s in Italy. Long before Charles Sykes was sculpting Eleanor bowing into a dramatic sweeping form, there was another guy who sculpted a woman getting all hot and bothered in dramatic fashion. Just so happens that this guy was the principal architect of 17th century Rome at the time. Not only that, but he was an amazing sculptor and pioneer of the three-dimensional wing of the Baroque movement. I’m talking about Gianlorenzo Bernini and his astounding, mostly marble, but also mixed media masterpiece, the Ecstasy of St. Teresa.
Given that she was sculpted before there were cars on the roads, it’s pretty safe to assume that St Teresa isn't swooning over the thrill of the Rolls Royce experience -but this lady is definitely feeling the spirit of ecstasy. So, you might be wondering just what it is that’s got Teresa all-a-fluster. You might also be thinking that for a saint, this gal sure seems to enjoy herself. Well, according to Teresa’s version of events, an angel of the lord penetrated her heart with a flaming golden arrow. Of this, she said, “the pain was so great that I screamed aloud; but at the same time, I felt such infinite sweetness that I wished the pain to last forever….. It was the sweetest caressing of the soul by God.”
….Well, then, you go on with your soul caressing, Teresa. It looks like lots of fun. It does feel a bit voyeuristic to look at the piece, though, doesn't it? After all, “caressing” that gets this type of a rise out of folks usually takes place behind closed doors (Or, if you’re Eleanor, on the hood of a Rolls Royce). Teresa may have felt this experience on more of an emotional or psychological level, but of course, that stuff doesn't translate well into sculpture -especially not Baroque sculpture with its overblown dramatics and exaggerated posturing. And, thanks to the Baroque period and its drama-infused interpretations of the subject matter its artists set out to depict, Bernini is able to blast his work’s viewers with both barrels of melodrama and poignant gratification, but still get away with it in spite of the clucking of prudish critics at the time. After all, this is a religious subject matter. Who could possibly have a leg to stand on complaining about this back in the day? Hey, if God saw fit to bestow an orgasmic religious experience on Teresa, who is Bernini or anybody else to poo-pooh the depiction of such divine intervention? Especially after Teresa was kind enough to share the details of this romp of the soul for the record?
So, we know the Rolls Royce Spirit of Ecstasy and Bernini’s Ecstasy of St Teresa are both sculptures, both sculpted by men, and both feature women depicting (duh) ecstasy. What else do they have in common? Well, let’s see. Remember how I mentioned earlier that you could get the Rolls Royce Spirit of Ecstasy ornament in gold plate (for an extra cost, of course)? Just so happens that Bernini’s sculpture has its own share of gold, seen on the flaming, golden arrow shaft wielded by the angel of God, and plating the three-dimensional rays shooting toward Teresa from the heavens even as real light splashes down on the figures from a clever little hidden light source above. Know what else has a nifty skylight? The Rolls Royce Ghost V12 with its big, sunny, panoramic roof. Of course a panoramic roof kind of pales in comparison to gleaming rays of sublime radiance from the heavens erupting through the atmosphere in a focused splay of gold to drench the seraphic spectacle of the angel and Teresa in hallowed luminosity -but then again, the Rolls doesn't have the benefit of having been created in the Baroque era, does it?
But what about ride quality? Surely the sculpted silver gray cloud of marble upon which St Teresa swoons can’t compare to the luxury and smooth splendor of a Rolls Royce? Actually, it can. Heck, there’s even a Rolls called the Silver Cloud. Speaking of which, here’s a picture of a 1963 silver cloud to gaze upon -try not to pass out from the ecstasy of it.
But whose silver cloud is better? The Rolls could certainly take you for quite the ride. Granted, it’s over 50 years old at this point, but you’d still look pretty darn austere being driven around in this Silver Cloud, with its preeminent upright design accented with just the right amount of swooping body work to let you know that somebody busted their hump working the English wheel to make that machine look so good. The car, down to its nuts and bolts is extremely dignified.
St Teresa isn't exactly shown in her most dignified moment, by comparison. Her silver cloud seems to be heaving her upward to meet those rapturous rays of light, in fact, driving her further from dignity and closer to, well, ecstasy. That cloud is thrusting her right up into the sky, and judging from the way her garments are flopped and strewn about in piles, it sure looks like Teresa’s cloud imparts a very tumultuous ride. I suppose it’s a personal choice between a velvety Rolls and a rapturous cloud, so we’ll call that one a draw.
Of course, the finery the two women, Eleanor, and Teresa wear is also something they have in common, and both suggest movement through space is taking place along with the upward thrust of air to whip the material about. However, Eleanor’s clothing’s embodiment of a wing-like appearance takes the win for form over the flowing folds of Teresa’s fabric. It’s not as detailed as Teresa’s clothing, either, but Eleanor’s outfit and the posture it hangs on wins in terms of dynamism.
Whether you find your holy-moley moment in a Rolls Royce, on a silver cloud, in its back seat, or in a spiritual sense that you might want to keep to yourself, lest some guy like Bernini should come along and makes a big ol’ sculpture of it for the whole world to see, there’s plenty of ecstasy to go around.
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