Chinese Mural Art: a cultural tribute by Rolls-Royce [Photo Gallery]

Rolls-Royce presents three Bespoke motor cars inspired by the ancient mural paintings of Dunhuang, China. This extraordinary expression of cross-cultural artistry was commissioned through Private Office Shanghai, an invitation-only space in which the marque welcomes clients seeking to commission highly complex and deeply personal motor cars. The trio includes Phantom Extended, Black Badge Cullinan, and Black Badge Spectre.

All three motor cars feature new Bespoke exterior colours reserved exclusively for Private Office Shanghai clients, each inspired by local landscapes, art and cultural themes. These commissions also share a recurring design motif named Silken Spirit: conceived by Private Office Shanghai Bespoke Designer, Shuai Feng, the artwork is inspired by the Spirit of Ecstasy and the flowing forms of imperial silk. The most detailed expression of the collection appears in the hand-painted Gallery artwork in Phantom Extended.

HONOURING A MARVEL
Over a thousand years ago, artists and craftspeople carved and painted the walls of a network of sacred caves in the mountains near Dunhuang, on the edge of the Gobi Desert. These sanctuaries house one of the world’s greatest collections of mural art, shaped by their unique position at the cultural crossroads of the ancient Silk Road. Today, they are honoured in a modern tribute from the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective.

PHANTOM EXTENDED
Phantom Extended is presented in a two-tone finish. The main body is finished in Ningye Purple, a colour inspired by the deep violet skies above the remote stretches of the Great Wall of China, and named after a poetic description of the hue from an 800 AD Tang Dynasty verse. The upper body is rendered in contrasting English White. A Silken Spirit motif is hand-painted on the C-pillar in Ningye Purple and completes the Grace White coachline.

The motif continues into the cabin, where it is depicted in a Bespoke Starlight Headliner with 1,344 hand-placed fibre-optic ‘stars’ and 192 ‘shooting stars’. The centrepiece of the interior is a hand-painted Bespoke Gallery artwork. The composition presents a landscape painting on black leather, completed with the Silken Spirit motif embroidered in white and black thread, evoking the movement of flying apsaras – celestial beings in Buddhist culture, which are prominently portrayed in the mural art.

“To bring this sense of depth and rhythm to the Gallery, I adapted a Chinese technique known as reduction block printing, where the artwork is gradually pressed onto a canvas using the same block of wood, re-crafted between paint layers. Once each layer is applied, the block is carefully re-carved to add depth and detail with the subsequent colour. Reinterpreting this method by hand, I used a fine sable brush in place of carved wood, painting every single colour individually and consecutively, allowing the image to emerge across the surface. Tiny areas of unpainted leather are deliberately left exposed, creating the illusion of carved block printing.” – Chloe Dowsett, Bespoke Artist, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

The seating is finished in Black and Cashmere Grey leathers – a colourway that is reversed for the front seats, creating two unique ambiences within the motor car. The front and rear doors also feature expansive Canadel wood panelling in Piano Black and Cashmere Grey respectively. The rear door panels incorporate the Silken Spirit motif inlaid in stainless steel, and the symbol also appears on the rear waterfall section between the two rear seats.

BLACK BADGE CULLINAN
Black Badge Cullinan Series II is presented in Danqian Pink, a hue which extends to the centres of the 23-inch Black Badge forged wheels. Silken Spirit motifs on the twin Coachline and C-pillar are presented in Black.

The front seats are finished in Blushing Pink leather with Placed Perforation, which extends onto the front doors. The pattern is designed to evoke the shifting cloud formations above the Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood and comprises 107,000 0.8- and 1.2-millimetre perforations.

In the rear, Navy leather with Blushing Pink piping and stitching is used to create a deeper, more immersive environment. The Silken Spirit graphic is inlaid in stainless steel on the Technical Fibre front fascia and the waterfall between the rear seats.

A Bespoke Starlight Headliner harmonises the front and rear colour themes. The Silken Spirit motif is rendered as an abstract illuminated graphic, which glows with a soft Blushing Pink light, complete with white shooting ‘stars’.

BLACK BADGE SPECTRE
This bold expression of Black Badge Spectre is presented in a dramatic Aero two-tone. The body is finished in Qingshan Blue – inspired by the mountain blues and verdant tones depicted in the Dunhuang murals – and the upper portion, together with Silken Spirit motifs on the C-pillar and Coachline, is presented in contrasting Diamond Black. The exterior is further dramatised by an Illuminated Grille, presented in Turchese.

The front seats are completed in Turchese and Black leathers, and the rear seats are presented in Black with contrast white stitching and piping. This unique ‘split’ extends to the leather centre console and lambswool carpets, which are Turchese and Black respectively.

The Silken Spirit motif appears on Turchese Illuminated Treadplates. Further illuminations include Starlight Doors and a Bespoke Starlight Headliner with 1,344 ‘stars’ and 192 ‘shooting stars’, each individually hand-placed.

LASTING LEGACY
The Chinese Mural Arts Bespoke Commissions represent a cultural dialogue between past and present, East and West, tradition and innovation. Through this trio, Rolls-Royce honours the relevance of ancient artistic legacies and the resonance of heritage as a source of inspiration for contemporary expressions of luxury. In doing so, they demonstrate the power of Bespoke in translating nuanced stories through design and craftsmanship, inviting future commissions that explore other cultural narratives with equal depth, care and imagination.