Nicholas Roerich

Collection of Louis and Nettie Horch, New York (acquired directly from the artist)
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner, circa 1977

New York, Kingor Galleries, The Nicholas Roerich Exhibition, December 1920-January 1921 (travelling exhibition, visiting the following locations among others)
Boston, Boston Art Club, February 1921
Buffalo, Albright Art Gallery, March 1921
Chicago, Art Institute, April-May 1921
St. Louis, City Art Museum, July 1921
San Francisco, Museum of Art, September-October 1921
Cleveland, Cleveland Museum of Art, 1922
New York, Nicholas Roerich Museum (permanent collection), 1924-1935

C. Brinton, The Nicholas Roerich Exhibition, New York, 1921, no. 141
F. Grant et al., Roerich, Himalaya, A Monograph, New York, 1926, p. 198
Roerich Museum Catalogue, New York, 1930, p. 16

This painting is framed behind glass and has survived well. The canvas is still stretched on its original stretcher. The paint layer may be slightly dirty yet it is almost impossible to clean and so it should remain as is. There are a few tiny paint losses in the rocks in the upper center, yet other than this the painting is in almost perfect condition. 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 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."

At the start of his artistic career, Roerich produced works on a variety of themes, namely designs for the theater and paintings depicting various church murals and mosaics, as well as scenes relating to the ancient Slavs. In 1918 the Roerich family made their way from Finland to London, where the artist created set designs for Diaghilev's production of Prince Igor. He also began work on his Dreams of Wisdom suite, comprising The Song of the Waterfall and The Song of Morning, among others, commissioned for a private residence in London in 1920 (now in the Nicholas Roerich Museum, New York). The present lot, a sketch for the former of these monumental, decorative panels, provides an early indicator of Roerich's budding fascination with the Far East.

This lot is accompanied by original bank notes from Nicholas Roerich to Louis Horch, each signed by Nicholas Roerich and dated circa 1922-1923.