Grand Logofeteasă Smaranda Sturdza-Balș, a Rediscovered Portrait

In an era where the names of ancient boyars seem increasingly distant, their faces faded under the dust of time and oblivion, the discovery of a forgotten portrait can become a cultural event in itself. This is the case of Smaranda Sturdza-Balș, the great logothete of Moldavia from the early 19th century, whose image recently reappeared—and for the first time in color—after being lost for over a hundred years.

A portrait believed lost… rediscovered in Vienna, returned to Romania

Smaranda's portrait, known until recently only from a black-and-white photograph published in 1907 by Alexandre A. C. Sturdza in Règne de Michel Sturdza, Prince de Moldavie, was considered lost to museums and historical research even before World War I. It had been mentioned by Mihai Dim. Sturdza in the first volume of the Encyclopedia of Boyar Families, with the note that, before 1914, it was located in Dumbrăveni, but it could not be found since then.

The surprise came in 2020, when this portrait was discovered at an auction organized by Dorotheum in Vienna – one of Europe's most prestigious institutions in its field. The work was listed under the title "Portrait of a Noble Lady", attributed to the Viennese painter Mihail Töpler, but without knowing the identity of the woman depicted.

Today, the painting is once again in Romania, in the Artiss collection and gallery, where it can be admired under its authentic name:

Mihail Töpler – The Great Logothete Smaranda Sturdza-Balș (Artiss Gallery)

This reunion with a lost face marks a special event for the history of Romanian art, the genealogy of Moldavian boyardom, and especially for the recovery of the memory of a woman with significant social and cultural roles.

Who was Smaranda Sturdza-Balș?

Born around 1775, Smaranda was the daughter of the great logothete Alexandru Sturdza of Ruginoasa and princess Ecaterina Moruzi, both founders of the church in Ruginoasa – now a symbol of Moldavian aristocracy.

She spent her childhood and youth in Iași, in her parents' house located in the Copou area, where the Military Hospital stands today.

In 1798, Smaranda married Alexandru (Alecu) Balș, the son of the great Vornic Iordache Balș. Her husband would later become the Great Treasurer of Moldavia.

The couple had two sons, Costache and Gheorghe Balș, the former of whom would remain in history as the restorer of the Ruginoasa Palace, giving it its famous neo-Gothic appearance, still visible today.

But Smaranda was not just an official's wife and a boyar's mother. She was a cultured woman, mistress of a valuable library with volumes in French, Romanian, and Greek, whose inventory has been preserved. Through her education and tastes, Smaranda reflects the profile of a Europeanized female elite of the late Phanariote era.

The wealth and legacy of a logothete

The estates owned by Smaranda in Bessarabia – Crasnaleuca, Corbu, and Andrieșeni in Hotin County – as well as those in Moldavia – Zberoaia, Zăzuleni, and Costinelu – reveal a woman of great wealth and influence. What makes her remarkable, however, is her will: she left a portion of her estates and jewelry to found an institute for poor girls, who were to receive a small dowry upon marriage.

Among the jewels mentioned in her will are exactly those visible in her portrait: "a brooch with an emerald and five strands of pearls, a pair of diamond earrings with large stones." Through this act, Smaranda joins the ranks of philanthropic women concerned with the education and future of the disadvantaged.

A possible future Princess of Moldavia

It was said about Smaranda that she could have become the Princess of Moldavia, had political fate been different. Perhaps she did not ascend to the country's throne, but she was a prominent figure in the aristocratic circles of her era. Her complex personality deserves to be brought back into focus, not only through a rediscovered portrait but also through a deeper exploration of her biography.

Moreover, a recent study, Testamentul și inventarul averii vistiernicesei Smaranda Balș (1833 / 1848) (The Will and Inventory of the Assets of Treasurer Smaranda Balș), available on academia.edu, offers a detailed analysis of documents regarding her inheritance and life. From there, we also learn that her actual death date is September 17, 1848, not 1845, as incorrectly stated in some reference works.

The rediscovery of the portrait – a window to the past

Returning to the portrait signed by Mihail Töpler, a Viennese painter active in Moldavia in the first half of the 19th century, it must be said that the work is more than just a beautiful image: it is a window to a forgotten era, to values, fashion, jewelry, but especially to an identity. Matei Eminescu, the poet's brother, mentioned Töpler as an artist who painted the entire Balș family in Dumbrăveni, also creating "the seven wonders of the world" in landscapes.

The fact that the portrait was found, after so many decades, in Vienna, then brought back to Romania and exhibited in the Artiss gallery, constitutes a veritable historical and identity reparation. It is a symbolic – but also aesthetic – recovery of a female figure who contributed discreetly, but essentially, to Moldavian culture and philanthropy.

In conclusion

The face of Smaranda Sturdza-Balș looks at us again, with the silent nobility of a bygone but not forgotten era. The rediscovery of her colored portrait – once considered lost – reminds us that history is not written once and for all. It is a living process that demands our participation, the courage to correct, complete, and bring to light the stories of those who built, through small and large gestures, what we are today.

Bibliography:

The Will and Inventory of the Assets of Treasurer Smaranda Balș (1833 / 1848) – Academia.edu
Alexandre A.C. Sturdza – Règne de Michel Sturdza, Paris, 1907
Mihai Dim. Sturdza – Encyclopedia of Romanian Boyar Families, vol. I