Nikolai Konstantinovich Roerich

Lao-Tze, the alleged author of the Tao-te Ching, was considered the founder of Chinese Taoism. The word, tao can be roughly translated into the path or way, it is a power that establishes the harmony of opposites, flows through both living and nonliving things in the world. A contemporary of Confucius, Lao-Tze was at one point worshipped as a deity; some believed him to be a mythical character, others saw him as a philosopher who was searching for a way to end feudal warfare.

Both Lao-Tze and Confucius (see lot 124) are a part of Roerich’s “Banners of the East,” series, begun before an extensive trip to the United States and Europe in 1924. As in many of Roerich’s Himalayan paintings, there is a sense of urgency in its composition, a mountain traveler on an important mission. Lao-Tze is riding an ox uphill on a perilous journey. He must pass through a bamboo grove on his way to visit the sacred Mount Kailas. However, rather than being deified, Roerich portrays him in small-scale, a mortal fulfilling a spiritual task. Around him, vegetation optimistically blooms, as if prophesying a successful resolution to his travels.

“By our symbols, by our images and tankas, you may see how the great Teachers functioned,” a lama told a seeker in Roerich’s book Himalayas: Abode of Light. “They do not fear to confront the most powerful forces and to ally themselves with them, if only it be for the common well-being.” The artist’s spiritual philosophy incorporated elements of Buddhism, Hinuism, pantheism, theosophy and Russian Orthodoxy. Above all, Roerich refused to adhere to a single philosophical stance; his aim was to unify spiritual teachings into an inclusive, empathetic view on life.

Both Lao-Tze and Confucius (lot 124) are the two final and most meaningful paintings from the Baltzar Bolling collection to be sold; a number of paintings from the collection are at the Roerich Museum, New York.  There were originally 80 paintings owned by the family.