Rolls‑Royce Dunhuang‑Inspired Bespoke Cars Unite Heritage
The mural art of the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang stands as a powerful symbol of China’s cultural heritage. Across dynasties, artists painted vivid, abstract ideals that still guide Chinese civilisation. “Inspired by their colours, forms and symbolism, we reimagined these themes through hand‑painted elements and carefully curated Bespoke features – a meaningful tribute that reflects Rolls‑Royce’s creative dialogue with China in a youthful and contemporary manner,” exclaimed Shuai Feng, Bespoke Designer, Private Office Shanghai.
Rolls‑Royce answers this inspiration with three Bespoke motor cars commissioned through Private Office Shanghai: Phantom Extended, Black Badge Cullinan Series II and Black Badge Spectre. Each model wears an exclusive exterior shade drawn from local landscapes, art and culture, and all share the flowing Silken Spirit motif, which Shuai Feng created by blending the Spirit of Ecstasy with imperial silk.
More than a thousand years ago, craftspeople carved and painted the Dunhuang caves near the Gobi Desert, creating a treasure trove at the Silk Road’s crossroads. Rolls‑Royce now honours that legacy through contemporary craftsmanship, proving that ancient mural art can enrich modern luxury design.
The team finishes Phantom Extended in a Ningye Purple body that echoes Tang‑era skies above the Great Wall, topped with English White. Artisans hand‑paint a Silken Spirit emblem on the C‑pillar and complete the Grace White coachline. Inside, 1,344 fibre‑optic stars and 192 shooting stars illuminate a Starlight Headliner. At the same time, a hand-painted gallery displays a black-leather landscape accented by embroidered Silken Spirit imagery that recalls flying apsaras. Bespoke Artist Chloe Dowsett says, “To bring this sense of depth and rhythm to the Gallery, I adapted a Chinese technique known as reduction block printing… painting every single colour individually and consecutively, allowing the image to emerge across the surface.” She deliberately leaves tiny leather spaces unpainted to mimic the look of carved block prints. Black and Cashmere Grey leathers create contrasting front and rear seating, complemented by Piano Black and Cashmere Grey Canadel wood panelling and stainless‑steel inlays of the Silken Spirit graphic.
Rolls‑Royce cloaks Black Badge Cullinan Series II in Danqian Pink, extending the hue to the centres of 23‑inch forged wheels. Designers paint Silken Spirit motifs on the twin coachline and C‑pillars in Black. Inside, Blushing Pink leather with Placed Perforation—107,000 precisely sized perforations—covers the front seats and doors, evoking shifting Goodwood skies. Navy leather with Blushing Pink piping defines the rear compartment, while stainless-steel Silken Spirit graphics adorn the Technical Fibre fascia and rear waterfall. A bespoke Starlight Headliner unites the cabin’s colours with an illuminated Silken Spirit graphic glowing softly in Blushing Pink.
The Black Badge Spectre arrives in a dramatic two-tone Aeroe: Qingshan Blue reflects the mountain blues seen in Dunhuang murals, contrasted by Diamond Black on the upper body, Silken Spirit details, and coachline. An illuminated grille in Turchese heightens the drama. Turchese and Black leathers dress the front seats, with Black leather and white stitching featuring in the rear. The split design continues across the centre console and lambswool carpets. Turchese Illuminated Treadplates and Starlight Doors lead to a headliner set with 1,344 stars and 192 shooting stars, all hand‑placed around the glowing Silken Spirit motif.
Through the Chinese Mural Arts Bespoke Commissions, Rolls‑Royce unites past and present, East and West, tradition and innovation. The marque proves that Bespoke craftsmanship can translate nuanced cultural stories into tangible luxury, inviting future commissions that explore diverse artistic narratives with equal imagination.
