Bidspirit auction | Nikolai Ivanovich Golikov (1924–2011)

Nikolai Ivanovich Golikov (1924–2011) - “Ruslan’s Battle with Chernomor”. Design sketch for a decorative composition.. Palekh, USSR, 1985. Cardboard, tempera. 30 by 19 cm. Condition report: Good condition. Minor age-related wear to the edges of the cardboard, light creases, and small surface abrasions are visible, consistent with the work’s age and its function as a working design sketch. The painting retains strong color intensity and graphic clarity. Provenance From the Golikov family collection (Palekh). Created and preserved within the artist’s personal archive. The sketch Ruslan’s Battle with Chernomor was created by Nikolai Golikov after Ruslan and Lyudmila by Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin and represents a vivid interpretation of Russian literary classicism through the language of the Palekh school. The composition is vertically organized and filled with theatrical dynamism. At the center appears Ruslan confronting Chernomor, who ascends dramatically into the sky carrying Lyudmila away. Below unfolds a fantastical architectural landscape with towers and fairy-tale city forms characteristic of Palekh imagery. Despite its intimate scale, the composition conveys a strong sense of movement and theatrical grandeur. The work belongs to Golikov’s mature creative period, during which he frequently explored literary subjects from Russian classical culture. The sketch possesses independent artistic value and reveals the artist’s compositional thought process in development. Collecting & Investment Potential Original preparatory sketches and cartoons by Nikolai Golikov are considerably rarer on the market than finished lacquer miniatures, as most such working materials remained within the artist’s family archive. Collectors especially value works that reveal the artist’s creative process and document the evolution of his individual style. Ruslan’s Battle with Chernomor is a rare and highly expressive original sketch by Nikolai Golikov, uniting the traditions of Palekh miniature painting with the poetic fantasy of Russian literary folklore.