Osian's Auction Catalogue Indian Modern Fine Arts | June 2017

9 Nicholas Roerich (1874 – 1947) Sacred Himalayas Tempera & pastel on canvas, nd Artist monogram in Cyrillic l.r. Inscription ‘Sacred Himalayas’ on verso (not fully legible) 22.2 x 28.2 in (56.5 x 71.7 cm) Provenance Formerly from the Collection of Zamindar, Art Patron & Indian Railway Board Member Anil Kumar Roy who was directly gifted the painting by the artist Nicholas Roerich; thereafter it was gifted to his daughter Anjali Roy on her marriage on 8th June 1957 to Amitabha Niyogi; thereafter by descent to their son. INR 12,000,000 – 18,000,000 USD 187,500 – 281,250 Antiquity / A.S.I. Registered A.S.I. No. M-K.C./A.S.I./2016-05 Non-Exportable Item Full double-spread image on pp.30-31 Nicholas Roerich made a deep and intimate study of the rocks and mountains of the inner Himalayas, and his Himalayan landscapes reveal unearthly beauty and grandeur. His colour may appear exaggerated to the people who live in the dusty plains, but those who have had an opportunity of traveling in high altitudes know what brilliant colours can be seen there at dawn and at sunset. Nicholas Roerich is not an ordinary landscape artist. It is nature strained through a fine consciousness, that we find revealed in his paintings. His mountain pictures have solitary figures of lamas, sadhus or hillmen standing before snow- covered peaks, symbolizing the insignificance of man before the mighty forces of nature. These landscapes are not merely records of places, but a means of recording the sense of grandeur and exaltation which the artist felt looking at these mountains… In the quiet of Naggar, Nicholas Roerich led a creative life, pervaded by spiritual understanding and harmony. Through his paintings he placed the Kulu Valley on the cultural map of the world. M.S. Randhawa rpt. in Lalit Kala Contemporary 18, September 1974; p.5. Property formerly from the eminent Family Collection of Anil Kumar Roy (1899-1975), directly gifted by the artist Nicholas Roerich Interior of a first-class four-berth compartment on an Indian Railways train Sitting-room in an Indian Railway Tourist Car Bedroom in an Indian Railways Tourist Car Interior of a Restaurant Car When Rail was the First Class Mode of Travel 32 | Osian’s–Connoisseurs of Art