Nicholas Roerich, original Russian Nikolay Konstantinovich Ryorikh, Ryorikh also spelled Rerikh, Russian painter, scenic designer, and writer who is perhaps best known for his work with Serge Pavlovich Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes and especially for his monumental historical sets. One noteworthy example was his costume and stage design for the 1913 premiere of Igor Stravinsky’s early Modernist landmark The Rite of Spring (Le Sacre du printemps). Roerich was also a popular mystic.