ROERICH, NICHOLAS (1874-1947) - photo 1
ROERICH, NICHOLAS (1874-1947) - photo 2
ROERICH, NICHOLAS (1874-1947) - photo 3
ROERICH, NICHOLAS (1874-1947) - photo 4

ROERICH, NICHOLAS (1874-1947)

Sold
£ 96 408
Auction dateClassic
10.04.2024 12:00UTC +01:00
Auctioneer
MacDougall Arts Ltd.
Event location
United Kingdom, London
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 1177793
Lot 12 | ROERICH, NICHOLAS (1874-1947)
Holy Mountains , signed with a monogram, further numbered and dated “33.1933” on the reverse.
Tempera and pencil on paper, laid on cardboard, 25.3 by 36.3 cm.

Provenance: At the Roerich’s estate in Nagar, Kullu, India.
Roerich Museum, New York, 1934-1935.Collection of Mrs. Katherine Campbell (1898-1996), from 1935 until circa 1960 (?).
Private collection, UK.

Holy Mountains was created in 1933 during one of the most prolific periods in the artist’s oeuvre.The present lot is inscribed “33.1933” by Nicholas Roerich on the reverse: “33", which, according to the archives of the Roerich Museum in New York, correspondsto the entry in the artist’s list of paintings for 1933. The entry says: “Св. Горы. /листы альбома/“ (in Russian, where “Св.” is an abbreviation of “Святые”) and translates as “Holy Mountains /album leaves/“.

It is part of the “Holy Mountain” series, which includes 15 paintings, all of them done in 1933. Twelve are works on canvas, about 18 by 31 inches (45.5 by 79 cm), while three, including this work, are “album leaves” of the same size and on paper. Four of the paintings from this series are in the collection of the Nicholas Roerich Museum in New York, one in the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, one in the State Museum of Oriental Art in Moscow, Russia, and one in Allahabad Museum, India.After settling with his family in Naggar in Kullu Valley in 1929, Roerich was to spend the rest of his life in India.

In this “country, the outlines of which vary with each change of light ... this eternally turbulent restless ocean of clouds and indescribably diverse varieties of mists"inspired Roerich to create some of the most exceptional works.
Holy Mountains. Path to Kailas is a superb example from the artistic output of the early 1930s,distinguished by a masterfully balanced and detailed composition.

Here Roerich depicts two pilgrims riding through a snowy mountainous landscape, their destination appears to be the monastery set on a mountaintop in the distance and the mountains themselves.“Before us is the road to Kailas. There rises one of the fifteen wonders described in Tibetan books: The Mount of the Bell! Along sharp ridges, one climbs to its summit. It stands higher than the last junipers, higher than the last yellow and white mountain ranges”, wroteRoerich in Himalayas – Adobe of Light.

The majestic Mount Kailas in Tibet is considered to be one of the most sacred.“In the holy caves of Kailas is the Threshold of Miracle”wrote Roerich of this place. Referred to as Stairway to Heaven, it is the abode of Shiva for Hindus, the navel of the universe for Buddhists, abode of the goddess Sipaimen for Bon and for Jain this is the site where the first leader was enlightened. Thousands of pilgrims travel to venerate this holy place every year, covering the arduous Kailash Kora trek around the mountain and visiting five monasteries along the way.

The composition of the present lot evokes with some variations that of Stronghold of the Spirit (1932), or Path to Kailas as thiswork was wrongly titled inJ. Decter, Ph.D. Messenger of Beauty. The Life and Visionary Art of Nicholas Roerich, Rochester, Vermont, Park Street Press, 1997, p. 159, illustrated.

According toGvido Trepša, Director of the Nicholas Roerich Museum, New York,the painting was sent to the first Roerich Museum in New York on December 16, 1933. In 1935, it was included in a group of paintings given to Mrs. Katherine Campbell as security for her monetary loans to the Roerich Museum. It remained in Mrs. Campbell’s possession till circa 1960 when, most likely, she gave it as a present to one of her friends.

We are grateful to Gvido Trepša, Director of the Nicholas Roerich Museum, New York, for his assistance with cataloguing this work

Inscription in the artist's hand on the verso of the present lot
Stronghold of the Spirit, 1932. Nicholas Roerich Museum, New York
Address of auction MacDougall Arts Ltd.
33 St James’s Square
SW1Y 4JS London
United Kingdom
Preview
Phone +44 20 7389 8160
Phone +7 495 799 4683
Fax +44 (0) 20 7389 8170
Email
4FQ.3FGKQHSRRSIHFPQS4@3SGAAHL@
Buyer Premium 27 %
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase
Business hoursBusiness hours
Mo 10:00 – 18:00   
Tu 10:00 – 18:00   
We 10:00 – 18:00   
Th 10:00 – 18:00   
Fr 10:00 – 18:00   
Sa closed
Su closed

More from Creator

NICHOLAS ROERICH (1874-1947)
NICHOLAS ROERICH (1874-1947)
$100 000
NICHOLAS ROERICH (1874-1947)
NICHOLAS ROERICH (1874-1947)
$20 000
NICHOLAS ROERICH (1874-1947)
NICHOLAS ROERICH (1874-1947)
$20 000
NICHOLAS ROERICH (1874-1947)
NICHOLAS ROERICH (1874-1947)
$80 000
NIKOLAI KONSTANTINOVICH ROERICH (NACHFOLGER) 1874 Sankt Pet
NIKOLAI KONSTANTINOVICH ROERICH (NACHFOLGER) 1874 Sankt Pet
€260

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.