Nicholas Roerich Artist: Mastering Color and Myth in Art
Explore the profound impact of Nicholas Roerich’s artistry and innovative spirit, shaping culture and spirituality. Discover his legacy in our article.
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Nicholas Roerich (1874-1947) Himalayan Peaks with Crimson Clouds, c. 1930's
Dimensions
33 × 40 cm | 13 × 15.7 in
Medium
Tempera on Cardboard
Sold For
30,000 €
37,500 € with buyer’s premium (rate at the time of sale)
Estimate: 20,000 - 30,000 €
Details
Signed with the artist’s monogram (lower right).
Sizes:
Frame: 50 x 57.5
Artwork: 33 × 40 cm | 13 × 15.7 in
Snow peaks rise above a crimson cloud, beyond a violet ridge and the deep folds of a Himalayan valley. This small tempera belongs to the extensive body of Himalayan mountain paintings that occupied Nicholas Roerich from the mid-1920s onward and continued after he settled in the Kullu Valley at the end of 1928.
Working in tempera on cardboard, a medium particularly suited to the clear, matte surfaces of his mature work, Roerich repeatedly returned to the changing light, colour and contours of the high ranges. The handling here is characteristic: the mountain forms are built from broad, interlocking planes, the snow picked out in pale, chalky highlights, while the sky is reduced to an almost abstract band of intense colour. The work bears the artist’s characteristic monogram at lower right.
Compact in scale yet highly resolved in composition, works of this kind distil Roerich’s vision of the Himalayas into concentrated arrangements of colour and form. For Roerich, the mountains were more than a landscape motif. Throughout his work and writings, the Himalayas became closely associated with ideas of transcendence, spiritual aspiration and the meeting of the earthly and the sublime.
Condition Report
Fair condition: the board is cracked through at the lower right corner (a split of about 6–7 cm, unrepaired but stable) and the upper-left part of the sky is thin and abraded; otherwise untouched, with no retouching in normal or ultraviolet light, the matte tempera surface well bonded and the peaks and crimson clouds fully intact; wear and small losses to the edges and corners of the board. Please contact us to request a detailed Condition Report.
Authenticity & Buyer Information
This lot is catalogued under the artist’s name without qualification and is covered by our Five-Year Authenticity Guarantee under Section 4 of the Conditions of Sale. The guarantee concerns authorship; it does not extend to provenance, dating, condition or value, which are described to the best of our knowledge.
Buyers should review the catalogue carefully and raise any questions before bidding; additional information is not ordinarily provided after the auction.
5-Year Authenticity Guarantee
Five years on authorship for works catalogued under the artist’s name without qualification (Section 4 of our Conditions of Sale); headings such as “Attributed to” or “Circle of” are sold as described.
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Questions about this lot
How does the estimate compare with the artist’s recent auction results?
The estimate of €20,000–€30,000 is our opinion of the range this work should reach; the starting price of €10,000 is the lowest bid we accept. We have not published comparable results for this lot; ask us before the sale and we will send the results we based the estimate on.
What will this lot cost in total?
Bidding on this site, the buyer’s premium is 25%, Spanish IVA included, and there is no VAT on the hammer price and no card fee: at the starting price of €10,000 the total is €12,500; at the low estimate of €20,000 the total is €25,000; at the high estimate of €30,000 the total is €37,500.
Through LiveAuctioneers, Invaluable, Drouot or Bidspirit the premium is 30%, so the same hammer of €30,000 costs €39,000 there. Shipping and insurance are quoted separately; the estimator on this page gives the figure for your country. Buyers outside the EU pay no Spanish tax on the lot; the destination’s import rules apply (United States: original paintings and drawings enter duty-free; United Kingdom: 5% import VAT on art). Card payments are accepted up to €10,000; larger amounts by bank transfer.
Is the attribution covered by the Five-Year Authenticity Guarantee?
Yes. This lot is catalogued under the artist’s name without qualification, so it carries our Five-Year Authenticity Guarantee under Section 4 of the Conditions of Sale: if the authorship proves materially incorrect, you may return the work within five years for a refund of the purchase price. The guarantee concerns authorship; provenance, dating, condition and value are described to the best of our knowledge and are not guaranteed.
Can I see the condition report, more photographs or the work itself?
A condition report with ultraviolet photographs is prepared on request, normally within two working days; the condition summary on this page is examined in-house and is not a conservator’s report. Further photographs of any detail, the reverse or the frame are sent on request. The work can be examined in our Barcelona showroom by appointment before the sale, and you are welcome to send your own conservator or specialist.
Nicholas Roerich
Russian
(1874-1947)
Nicholas Roerich was a Russian painter, writer, philosopher, and mystic, born in 1874 in Saint Petersburg. Celebrated for his visionary landscapes and symbolic works, Roerich combined artistic mastery with spiritual exploration, creating a unique body of work inspired by Russian folklore, Himalayan vistas, and Eastern philosophy. Trained at the Imperial Academy of Arts, he was also active in the cultural preservation movement and contributed significantly to the Roerich Pact for the protection of cultural heritage.
During the 1920s and 1930s, Roerich led scientific expeditions through Central Asia and settled in the Kullu Valley, India, where his art entered its most transcendent phase. His Himalayan paintings — glowing with mysticism and peace — became visual prayers for humanity. A figure revered both in Russia and abroad, Roerich left behind more than 7,000 works and an enduring legacy as a bridge between East and West, art and spirit.
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