Bidspirit auction | Nikolai Ivanovich Golikov (1924–2011)

Nikolai Ivanovich Golikov (1924–2011) - Box “Prince Yelisei”. Palekh, USSR, 1991. Papier-mâché, egg tempera, gold highlights, lacquer. The artist’s signature “N. Golikov. 91” together with the inscription “Palekh”. 14 by 11 cm. Condition report: Minor traces of handling. Well-preserved lacquer surface and painted decoration. Provenance A work by Nikolai Ivanovich Golikov from the Golikov family archive. Created in 1991, the box belongs to the artist’s late period, when his artistic language acquired exceptional philosophical depth, decorative richness, and expressive freedom. The work remained carefully preserved within the family collection as a characteristic example of Golikov’s mature Pushkin-inspired cycle. Subjects drawn from Pushkin’s fairy tales occupy a central place within the artist’s oeuvre and are considered among the finest achievements of twentieth-century authorial Palekh lacquer miniature painting. A striking museum-quality composition filled with romantic poetry and the atmosphere of a fantastical journey. In Prince Yelisei , Nikolai Golikov interprets one of the most lyrical heroes of Pushkin’s fairy-tale world - the prince wandering through a magical universe in search of his beloved. At the center of the composition, the mounted figure rides swiftly across an enchanted landscape. The entire scene appears animated by cosmic forces of nature: at left glows an anthropomorphic sun with a human face, while at right emerges a monumental dark-blue moon. Between them unfolds a fantastical world of stylized Palekh hills, swirling clouds, and ornamental vegetation. The lacquer surface creates extraordinary optical depth, while the delicate gold highlights produce a shimmering inner luminosity. The artist’s signature “N. Golikov. 91” together with the inscription “Palekh” confirms the work’s status as a fully autograph lacquer miniature by one of the leading masters of the Palekh tradition. Collecting & Investment Potential: Nikolai Ivanovich Golikov is recognized as one of the most important Palekh artists of the twentieth century, whose works are represented in major museum collections and regarded as benchmarks of authorial lacquer miniature painting. This work is especially significant due to direct provenance from the family archive, artist’s signature, inclusion within the celebrated Pushkin cycle, exceptional decorative power, philosophical and symbolic character, excellent state of preservation and exhibition-quality execution. Authorial lacquer boxes by Golikov from the early 1990s remain rare on the market and are highly prized among collectors of museum-quality Russian lacquer art. A signed lacquer box by Nikolai Golikov, Prince Yelisei is an outstanding example of late Palekh art, uniting the poetry of Pushkin’s fairy tales with cosmic symbolism and virtuoso decorative mastery.