Supported by The Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation
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Supported by The Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation

Nicholas Konstantinovich Roerich

Author name
Весть орла
1927
tempera and oil on plywood
31.7 × 41 cm
1.0059
Location of the works
Nicholas Roerich Museum. New York

Roerich Museum, New York (1927); Louis & Nettie Horch col., New York (1935); Magdalene Lehrer col., USA (1950s); Nicholas Roerich Museum (1965)

In Buddhism, the eagle is considered to be the riding bird of Buddha Amoghasiddha. The eagle, like the garuda, symbolized the mind, following the path of enlightenment. In many cultures, the eagle appears as a messenger, and in the works of N.K. and E.I. Roerich, the eagle is a symbol of the coming era of Maitreya, which Nikolay Roerich reflected later in the painting "The Order of the Teacher". Perhaps, the view of the Buddhist caves, among which eagles and vultures flew, suggested to the artist the scene of the painting. "On the mountain roads to Khotanu, we saw several caves that used to be the abodes of Buddhist hermits. Sometimes, their dark holes loomed on steep cliffs, so that there was no approach to them. During earthquakes and landslides, all steps have disappeared, and now these hidings have remained in the air, sharing their secrets only with eagles and vultures".

N. Roerich. Remains.

In the picture we see one of the teachers of the Gelug school, probably, Atisha or Tsong-Kha-Pa, sitting in meditation with a bowl.