It is not uncommon for car manufacturers to espouse the skills, talents and creativity of their craftspeople. The leather seats will be hand stitched, the inlays will be made from the finest woods and worked accordingly. Nothing but the finest makers making the finest things.
The problem can be that, to many, a car is not always a piece of art. Why does it matter if it is made by man or machine? A question clearly bothering the skilled craftsfolk at Rolls-Royce motorcars, who decided to use London Craft Week to show the world why it matters.
Taking inspiration from the flora and fauna of the British islands, the artisans at Rolls-Royce took their skills off the production line at Goodwood and sank 1,000 hours into creating this triptych, showcasing the three main areas of their work: metal, wood and leather. You can see it now, at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars in Berkeley Street, London W1. It is worth your time to do so.
The three panels allow you to see, up close and personally, the absolute precision and skill that goes into making a Rolls-Royce a Rolls-Royce. That is, in theory at least, the best cars in the world. It’s not just the materials and how they are arranged, but how they are chosen. ‘Strive for perfection in everything you do,’ said Sir Henry Royce. Again, it is one thing to know the quote, but another to see it in person.
The triptych flows from day to evening to night, with a kingfisher as the central motif that flits between all three. All aspects of the skills of the Rolls-Royce artisans are on display, in one space, and the piece is supported by sketches, notes, and drafts that show just how much effort went into creating this piece of art. If they put this much effort into a piece of art that is on display for a week, imagine how much effort they might put into a car.
It would not be unfair to suggest that the British automotive industry doesn’t get the plaudits it should as a true champion of craftsmanship. It is not easy to build a car, and Rolls-Royce is happy to show just how hard it can be. This work also shows why it’s worth the effort.
Rolls-Royce is taking part in London Craft Week. The bespoke artwork 'Swan Lake, Enchanted Woodland, Stealth After Dark' can be viewed now at Rolls-Royce Motorcars London, until May 18.
-
The blissful waterside home for sale that hosted the iconic 'Surrealists in Cornwall' party, where Man Ray, Lee Miller and Henry Moore let down their hairThe wonderful Lambe Creek House was the setting for a bohemian gathering of some of the most creative minds of the 1920s and 1930s. Today, it's up for sale; Penny Churchill tells is story.
-
The Queensberry Rules apply to which sport and other questions: Country Life Quiz of the Day, September 26, 2025Test your general knowledge ahead of the weekend.
-
'It’s always been more about the things than the money': The family crafting silk for Strictly, Highgrove, the House of Commons and Westminster AbbeyFor half a century, Beckford Silk has been supplying remarkable textiles since 1975. Ben Lerwill discovers what makes its wares materially different
-
Manolo Blahnik on Margot Robbie, Marie Antoinette, fashion and footwearThe shoe might feel inconsequential as an item of fashion, but as Marie Antoinette, Andy Warhol, Margot Robbie and Manolo Blahnik demonstrate, it's anything but....
-
‘The atomic bomb of jewellery’: Why the brooch is back in fashionOver the centuries, the brooch, invented to fasten garments, has become a glittering gem, a coded communication–an art mastered by Elizabeth II and a way to express personality.
-
'I’m here to say: We’re driving. We’re buying. And we’re not going anywhere': Meet the new gatekeepers of the motoring worldFrom the racetrack to the boardroom to the private garage, women are taking the inside line into automotive spaces that were once off-limits
-
Out of this world: The watches made from million-year-old space rockThe meteorite fragments used in luxury watches are likely from one of two rare space rocks.
-
‘A stone pounding artist — who exclaims in his sleep, “Think of me standing upon a pinnacle of the Andes — or sketching a Fuegian Glacier!!!”’When fate handed artist Conrad Martens the chance to join HMS Beagle, he captured the Patagonian flatlands, the shores of Tierra del Fuego and the peaks of the Andes with aplomb.
-
Arts & Antiques: Five ways in which we are living in a material worldCarla Passino looks at a new art, fashion and culture festival at Kew Gardens, and the life and work of the artist Rose Hilton.
-
‘City gents in bowler hats beat on our shop windows shouting “immoral!” and “disgusting!”’: The rise (and rise) of the mini skirtWhat the mini skirt lacked in length it more than made up for in meaning.
