MacDougall's:
* May 2012 Lot 192. ROERICH, NICHOLAS ((1874-1947))
The Battle, , signed..
Ink, watercolour and gouache on paper, laid on cardboard, 16 by 23.5 cm.
40,000–60,000 GBP
Possibly painted c. 1906.
Provenance: Roerich Museum, New York, USA, 1926/27–1935.
Collection of Nettie and Louis Horch, USA, from 1935.
Thence by descent.
Private collection, USA.
Literature: Probably Roerich Museum Catalogue, New York, Roerich Museum, 1930, No. 614 or 625.
The present lot is a rare example of Nicholas Roerich’s work from the mid 1900s – a period which was particularly fruitful in terms of the artist’s creative development His bright, decorative style and profoundly individual approach to interpreting scenes from history made him one of the most sought-after artists of his time. He exhibited prolifically and collaborated with the leading art periodicals of the day, including Vesy, Zolotoe Runo and Mir Iskusstva. The stylistic characteristics of this work would suggest that it was created as an illustration for a similar publication.