Nicholas Roerich (Russian, 1874-1947) Costume Design for Tsar Saltan, "Tsar Saltan", circa 1919-1920 Tempera and ink on paper 11-1/2 x 7-3/4 inches (29.2 x 19.7 cm) (work) 13-3/4 x 10-1/4 inches (34.9 x 26 cm) (frame) Recto: unsigned Verso: With extensive markings, including handwritten in ink: "No. 96 Costume Design -- $200 for Tsar Saltan", printed label by framer J.J. Patrickson with showroom and workshop addresses in Chelsea, London, SW; many inscriptions referencing boxes (presumably for shipping). PROVENANCE: Roerich Museum, New York, 1923-1925; Collection of Louis and Nettie Horch, New York; Thence by descent; Private Collection, USA. LITERATURE: Nicholas Roerich Exhibition Catalog, 1920-1921-1922, p. 15 "95-115. Costume Designs for "Tsar Saltan"; Roerich Museum Catalog, Sixth Edition, 1930, p. 15: "95-115. Costume Designs for "Tsar Saltan." EXHIBITED: Nicholas Roerich Museum, New York, 1929-1930 Nicholas Roerich and "Tsar Saltan" In 1919, Russian symbolist painter and stage designer Nicholas Roerich received a commission from Sir Thomas Beecham to design sets and costumes for Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan at the Royal Opera House in London. Beecham, the founder of both the London and Royal Philharmonic orchestras, was a significant figure in promoting Russian opera and ballet in the West and had earlier facilitated the introduction of the Russian legends Diaghilev, Nijinsky, and Karsavina to Covent Garden in 1911. Rimsky-Korsakov's opera, composed between 1899 and 1900 to commemorate the centenary of the poet Alexander Pushkin, is based on Pushkin's magnificently named fairy tale in verse, "The Tale of Tsar Saltan, of His Son the Renowned and Mighty Bogatyr Prince Gvidon Saltanovich and of the Beautiful Swan-Princess" (Skazka o tsare Saltane, o syne yevo slavnom i moguchem bogatyre knyaze Gvidone Saltanoviche i o prekrasnoy tsarevne Lebedi). The narrative revolves around three sisters, the youngest of whom, Militritsa is the bride of Tsar Saltan, and is falsely accused by her jealous elder sisters. As punishment for the baseless accusations, she and her son are cast into the sea in a barrel, but they survive. Her son, Prince Gvidon, grows up in exile to rescue an enchanted swan, who grants him wishes and eventually transforms into a princess. The story culminates with Tsaritsa Militritsa being reunited with her husband, and the Tsarevich Gvidon and his bride with his father, while the jealous and deceitful sisters are forgiven. Roerich began working on this project in July 1919. By October, he had completed three dozen designs and costume sketches, characterized by his distinct style, combining elements of Russian folklore with eastern influence. Roerich's time at Covent Garden, however, was a disaster. He wrote to Princess Tenisheva in Paris "In Russia, I never witnessed such disorder as I see at Covent Garden." To Stravinsky, he spoke in harsher terms: "Beecham's enterprise is a pigsty, and that is not the worst I could say about it." By November he wrote Stravinsky that Covent Garden was "a dead loss, ... to continue working here is inconceivable." The production was canceled due to financial issues, and Roerich had arrived, unfortunately, at the moment of the company's collapse. Tsar Saltan would not see a British premiere until 1933. Roerich, however, soon departed for the United States with over 400 artworks, including the offered lots, and embarked on an exhibition tour that began in New York. The sketches for the unrealized production of Tsar Saltan joined others in the collection of the Roerich Museum in New York, and were on exhibition from 1925-1935, before passing into the noted collection of the museum's patrons, the celebrated collectors Louis and Nettie Horch. References: For more information on Roerich's period in London and the ill-fated production of Tsar Saltan, see McCannon, J., Nicholas Roerich, The Artist Who Would be King, University of Pittsburgh Press: Pittsburgh, 2022, pps. 205-207. For citations of the Roerich-Tenisheva and Roerich-Stravinsky correspondence at RGALI, see p. 548. HID12401132022 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved