Святыни и твердыни. # 48
1925

L.A. Waddell. Lhasa and Its Mysteries. London, 1905

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SALE 1125

Russian Art

London|3 June 2013

LOT 75

Nicholas Roerich (1874-1947)

'Sanctuaries and Citadels' from the series Sanctuaries and Citadels

Price realised

GBP 481,875

Estimate

GBP 500,000 - GBP 700,000

signed with artist's monogram (lower left); further signed with artist's monogram, numbered and dated 'N 48/1925' (on the reverse)

tempera on canvas laid down on board

25¾ x 38 5/8 in. (65.4 x 98 cm.)

Provenance

Roerich Museum Collection, 1926-1935.

Louis and Nettie Horch, New York.

Andrew Horch, New York.

Acquired from the above by the previous owner in 1983.

Gift to the present owner in 1991.

Pre-Lot Text

To express the beauty of this snowy realm, where we spent many days, is quite impossible. Such variations, such expressiveness of outline, such fantastic cities, such multicoloured streams and torrents, and such memorable purple and moon-like cliffs! And at the same time one feels the astounding silence of the desert! - Nicholas Roerich, 1930

PROPERTY FROM A SOUTHERN COLLECTION, UNITED STATES

Literature

F. Grant, et. al., Roerich. Himalaya., New York, 1926, Roerich Museum Catalogue, New York, 1930, the series nos. 583-608.

Lot Notes

This magnificent landscape by Nicholas Roerich is one of 27 works from the Sanctuaries and Citadels series, created in August and September of 1925 while the artist was travelling with his family and companions in the Ladakh region of northern India. During this expedition he and his party saw many Buddhist monasteries as well as ruins of ancient palaces. Although the pictures depict actual places, Roerich intentionally did not give them individual titles, having said, 'One does not care to give the local image any ethnographical or geographical character. Let them go as symbols, 'Sanctuaries and Citadels.' Let them by their general tone of heroism and attainment, themselves speak for this country.' (quoted in F. Grant et. al., Roerich. Himalaya., New York, 1926, p. 169). For Roerich the portrayal of these landscapes was as much deep meditation as it was documentation of visited places. This was instilled in him by one of his earliest teachers, Arkhip Kuindzhi, who put a stress on achieving 'inwardness' in painting. This approach was further strengthened by the theosophical beliefs that would define Roerich's life and career. Having been interested in Eastern spiritualism for some time, Nicholas and Helena Roerich realised their plans to travel to India in 1923. Once there, they embarked on an exploratory journey of Central Asia, studying and documenting the languages and philosophies of the various cultures they encountered. Nicholas Roerich wrote about his observations and experiences in his book Heart of Asia, but the most vivid account of his journey is found in the paintings created during this time. Bathed in a supernatural blue light, this carefully rendered mountainous landscape crowned with ancient ruins exemplifies Roerich's profound admiration of the Ladakh region and the sacredness it held for him. Roerich illustrates a scene that is at once realistic and evocative of the spiritual mysteries that exist within it. For Roerich, the voyage to India was a search for enlightenment; it was the path to Shambhala, which represented an era of peace, beauty and truth. The grandeur of the Himalayas represented the summit of that quest; 'All teachers journeyed to the mountains. The highest knowledge, the most inspired songs, the most superb sounds and colours are created on the mountains. On the highest mountains there is Supreme. The high mountains stand as witnesses of the great reality. The spirit of prehistoric man already enjoyed the greatness of the mountains.' (quoted in J. Decter, Nicholas Roerich: The Life and Art of a Russian Master, Vermont, 1989, p. 141). While on the Central Asian expedition, in 1926 Nicholas Roerich sent this painting along with 24 others from the series to New York to be installed in the Helena Roerich wing of the newly founded Roerich Museum. This allowed followers of Roerich's teachings to have a direct connection to the expedition, and presented them with his visionary representations of lands previously unknown to most.

We would like to thank Gvido Trepsa, Senior Researcher at the Nicholas Roerich Museum, New York for his assistance in cataloguing the present work.

Это характерное полотно Николая Рериха – одна из 27 работ серии «Cвятыни и твердыни», созданной в августе-сентябре 1925 года во время путешествия художника с семьей и друзьями по области Ладакх на севере Индии.

Глубоко интересовавшиеся восточной культурой и философией Николай и Елена Рерихи в 1923 году смогли осуществить свои мечты о путешествии по Индии, где они изучали и подробно документировали все, что узнавали о языках и философских учениях различных культур. Николай Рерих описал свои наблюдения в книге «Сердце Азии», но самый яркий отчет о его путешествии можно прочитать в созданных им в это время картинах. В них отражены не только пейзажи, но и философские концепты, формировавшие мировоззрение художника.

Ранее принадлежавшая семье Хорч, крупнейших покровителей художника, картина «Cвятыни и твердыни» будет впервые представлена на аукционе.