Nicholas Roerich

Roerich Museum, New York (acquired directly from the artist in 1923)
Collection of Louis & Nettie Horch, New York (acquired from the above in 1935)
Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Brooklyn, The Brooklyn Museum, The Nicholas Roerich Exhibition, 1920-1922, no. 54

Christian Brinton, The Nicholas Roerich Exhibition, Brooklyn, 1920-1922, no. 54
Corona Mundi International Art Center, Roerich, 1924, pl. 21, illustrated
Roerich Museum, Roerich Museum Catalogue, 1930, no. 54

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com , an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This work on artist board is in lovely condition. The board is very slightly broken on the extreme right edge, particularly at the bottom and to a lesser degree on the other edges, yet none of this is significant or visible when framed. The paint layer itself is stable, seems to be clean and there appears to be no deterioration or damage to the picture. The picture should be hung as is and the condition should be noted.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Roerich executed this work in Vyborg in 1918. He spent most of 1917 and 1918 near Lake Ladoga, and this is undoubtedly one of the finest paintings of his entire Karelia period. While there, he survived a life-threatening illness and witnessed destruction and chaos in his homeland and in Europe. Most of the works of this period are observations of nature, somewhat detached and emotionless. This composition evokes the first glimpses of the new Roerich, replenished by the monumental and serene energy of the North. The composition is dramatic in its foreground, both in line and color, but perfectly balanced by the calm, distant contours in the background, rounded by the eternal flow of time. The sky, so often dull and lifeless in Karelia paintings, is here alive again, with turbulent patches of clouds contrasting against the peaceful mountainous horizon.