Work Text:
Aleksander Kirigan Morozov, 6th Duke of Balakirev
Born: 14 December 1748
Died: 29 July 1831 (age 82)
Spouses: Lady Elizaveta Golubeva (m. 1772; died 1803)
Lady Alina Oretseva nee Starkova (b. 1763; m. 1804)
Children: Lukyan Aleksander Morozov (born Oretsev), 7th Duke of Balakirev (rumoured)
Irina Alina Kostyk (nee Morozova, born Oretseva), Duchess of Os Alta (rumoured)
Parents: Aleksander Ilya Morozov, 5th Duke of Balakirev
Lady Baghra Lena Morozova
Excerpt from the Wikipedia page of Aleksander Kirigan Morozov, 6th Duke of Balakirev
The 6th Duke of Balakirev
Artist: Fedyor Kaminsky
Year: 1773
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 127cm x 101.5cm
Location: Morozov House, Balakirev, Ravka
Most of his contemporaries would have been astounded to come across this image of the 6th Duke of Balakirev.
Painted only two years after his ascension to the dukedom, the painting is an oddity for not depicting the young Duke wearing his signature black.
A number of art historians have suggested that the more colourful wardrobe depicted here might be due to the artist. Fedyor Kaminsky was a close friend of the Duke’s from university and he was known for producing bright works – a man of the Duke’s temperament would not likely have taken suggestions from anyone he did not trust and the more casual clothing (as well as the presence of a vivid red coat) may have been agreed to on Kaminsky’s particular request.
The inclusion of a globe in the painting is very telling. The Duke was a prolific traveller in his youth, undertaking a Grand Tour right after his twenty-first birthday and then making regular trips to European destinations for the next decade or so. Rumours suggested that these trips were a way for him to escape his wife Elizaveta, who he came to despise mere months after their marriage. These lengthy journeys away from England ceased almost entirely in 1783 when the Duke’s nephew Malyen Oretsev and Oretsev’s wife Alina came to live at Morozov House.
Excerpt from the Wikipedia page of The 6th Duke of Balakirev (Kaminsky)
Known Members of the Grisha Society
Past members of the club include:
Lord Ivan Kaminsky (1747-1826), a Ravkan aristocrat, third son of the Earl of Arkesk
Aleksander Morozov, 6th Duke of Balakirev (1748-1831), a Ravkan aristocrat, politician and patron of the arts
Sir Fedyor Kaminsky (1749-1830), a Ravkan painter, knighted by Pyotr II in 1791
David Kostyk, 4th Duke of Os Alta (1752-1820), a Ravkan aristocrat and inventor
Excerpt from the Wikipedia page of The Grisha Society (Os Alta University)
The 6th Duke’s first marriage was an unhappy and childless union and the two had chambers on opposite sides of Morozov House, their country residence. In the absence of issue, it was assumed that the Duke’s title would pass to his nephew and closest male relative, Lord Malyen Oretsev. In 1783, the Duke invited Oretsev and his wife Alina to stay in his home, which society at large considered a sign that he considered Oretsev his heir.
During the course of their time at Morozov House, Lady Alina gave birth to two children, a son in 1786 and a daughter in 1789. The childless Duke doted on both children and, with Oretsev’s financial circumstances strained by a love for gambling (and poor luck at the same), took on financial responsibility for their education and maintenance.
Oretsev died in 1799 after accidentally falling into the Sokol River while drunk. His widow and her two children remained at Morozov House and both children were adopted by the Duke, taking his name, with Lukyan considered the heir to the dukedom.
Elizaveta died in 1803 after a short illness. Six months later, the Duke married Lady Alina. Their twenty-seven year marriage, in contrast to the first unions of both parties, was said to be an extremely warm, happy and loving one.
Excerpt from the Wikipedia page of Aleksander Kirigan Morozov, 6th Duke of Balakirev
Rumours abounded about the state of affairs at Morozov House from the day that Lord Malyen and Lady Alina moved in at the 6th Duke’s invitation.
The Duke’s relations with his then-wife Elizaveta were poor indeed, while the situation between the Oretsevs was scarcely much better – it is said to have begun as a supposed love match, but one that quickly soured with Lord Malyen’s predilection for gambling and actresses.
It was clear to all who visited Morozov House, however, that the Duke and Lady Alina were incredibly close. He is said to have planned the redesign of Morozov House’s extensive gardens specifically around her own preferences, including a hidden grove filled with her favourite flowers; their bedchambers were as near as propriety would allow; they were regularly found playing music (the Duke on the violin and Lady Alina on the piano), reading, riding and walking together; and the Duke was said to be one of Lady Alina’s favourite subject when it came to her artistic endeavours (she was an accomplished painter, although most of her work remains in the Morozov family’s private collection).
With such evidence before their eyes, it is no wonder that society whispered about the paternity of Lady Alina’s two children. While Lukyan was very much his mother’s son in looks, it was widely agreed that Irina bore a striking resemblance to the Duke.
Whatever they might have thought privately, neither the Duke’s first wife nor Oretsev ever publicly challenged their spouses about the children. Even after Oretsev’s death, when the Duke gave both children his last name, Elizaveta did not seek to fight her husband, likely realizing the futility of such action.
Excerpt from the article ‘A Paternity Mystery’ in Ravkan History
Lady Alina Oretseva
Artist: Juris Kuznetsov
Year: 1784
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 237cm x 145cm
Location: Morozov House, Balakirev, Ravka
This painting of Lady Alina Oretseva, future Duchess of Balakirev, was commissioned by the 6th Duke of Balakirev not long after Lady Alina and her husband came to stay at Morozov House.
Household records indicate that the Duke ordered the dress worn by Lady Alina in the painting and it is this was one of the many gifts that the Duke bestowed upon his nephew’s wife. Lady Alina was known to favour dresses in gold, black, blue or some combination of the three.
The background of the painting depicts the southern section of the gardens at Morozov House. In 1795, Lady Alina, herself an avid and talented artist, painted this same scene, but with her two young children standing in her place.
Excerpt from the Wikipedia page of Lady Alina Oretseva (Kuznetsov)
… and we hear one or two rather concerning rumours from certain quarters regarding the Duke’s affectionate behaviour towards one of your house guests. I hope it is just idle speculation, but you must be wary and watch them carefully. Remember, it is you who are Duchess of Balakirev, and your guests are simply dependents who ought to be grateful for the notice you give them. Above all else, my child, remember that you must give your husband a legitimate heir – it will not matter what bastards he might have with lesser women as long as you have a son in the nursery …
Excerpt from a 1785 letter from Ludmilla, Countess of Nezkii to her daughter Elizaveta, Duchess of Balakirev
The Swing
Artist: Fedyor Kaminsky
Year: 1787
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 81cm x 64.2cm
Location: Morozov House, Balakirev, Ravka
The painting depicts an elegantly dressed young woman (now known to be Alina Morozova, Duchess of Balakirev; at the time of painting Lady Alina Oretseva) on a swing in a garden (confirmed to be a small grove within the grounds of Morozov House, personally designed by the 6th Duke of Balakirev).
According to the diaries of the artist, Fedyor Kaminsky, the painting was commissioned by the 6th Duke of Balakirev in the mid-1780s. The Duke was present while Kaminsky sketched the scene and was apparently “most affectionate indeed” with Lady Alina. Kaminsky’s diaries say nothing further than this on the subject of the relationship between the Duke and Lady Alina, but it should be noted that the painting – one of a rather flirtatious nature – hung in the Duke’s study, a room in which he spent a great deal of time.
The Swing has been used as one of many pieces of evidence that the Duke’s relationship with Lady Alina began not after his wife’s death in 1803, but decades before, on her arrival with her husband at Morozov House, and that both of her children were fathered by the Duke and not Oretsev. It was by no means the only painting of Lady Alina commissioned by the Duke, but it is the most playful and intimate, showing a location that contemporary reports indicate was considered a spot private to the Duke and Lady Alina alone.
Excerpt from the Wikipedia page of The Swing (Kaminsky)
Finished the sketch for Aleksander’s commission today and I admit I am very pleased with how it has turned out.
Aleksander thanked me most heartily. He was in very good spirits and most affectionate indeed with Lady Alina, who really looks like an angel when she smiles.
I was invited to stay to dinner and gladly accepted. The Duchess was absent and we all breathed a sigh of relief – I confess I never could understand why Aleksander married her. Lord Malyen imbibed a great deal of wine and left early, which was another relief, and one his poor wife seemed acutely aware of – it is such a tragedy, to see Lady Alina wasted on Aleksander’s no-good nephew. Still, there were many delightful familiar faces at the table, including Ivan – it really is such a funny little coincidence that the two of us have the share the same surname despite our families being unrelated, but it does sometimes allow me to imagine that we are –
… well, it does not do to dwell on impossible dreams.
Dinner was delicious, and afterwards Aleksander showed off the miniatures he has recently had painted of Lady Alina’s son Lukyan, who is the very image of his mother. He has engaged me to return in eight months so that I might paint the boy in celebration of his second birthday.
After dinner, Aleksander insisted that we all stay the night as the heavens had opened and the rain was quite torrential.
Lady Alina asked if Ivan and I would mind terribly having rooms with a connecting door, as many of their guest bedrooms are currently being decorated and there are limited rooms available. We insisted there was no issue at all and, in fact, it all worked out quite well, for the two of us stayed up late talking together and …
Excerpt from the diary of Sir Fedyor Kaminsky, dated 5th May 1787
Sometimes I feel as if the fates have played some cruel trick on us, like it was meant to be different. Instead, we are neither of us free.
We persevere, though, and nothing can ever take away our love or our beautiful children.
Maybe one day …
Note in the handwriting of Lady Alina Oretseva (later Duchess of Balakirev), written in 1790 and promptly burned in her fireplace
Lady Alina and Her Children
Artist: Fedyor Kaminsky
Year: 1792
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 93cm x 57cm
Location: Morozov House, Balakirev, Ravka
This work was another that hung in the 6th Duke of Balakirev’s study during his lifetime and which he is noted to have indicated was one of his favourites of the many works that were displayed in his homes.
The exclusion of Lady Alina’s current husband from the painting is extremely telling. Letters between Lady Alina and Genya, Duchess of Os Alta indicate that Malyen Oretsev was absent from home for almost eight months during 1792 and that his presence was not missed by the remaining occupants.
One of the many Kaminsky paintings featuring the occupants of Morozov House, the rich and warm colours of this work are characteristic of that artist. In addition, the tender, familial affection shown in the painting prevents it from appearing remote or posed in a way some works from that period suffer from.
Excerpt from the Wikipedia page of Lady Alina and Her Children (Kaminsky)
Papa,
Mama says I must call you Uncle when we go down to the village. I do not like it.
Lukyan
Note c. 1792 from Lukyan Morozov, 7th Duke of Balakirev to Aleksander Morozov, 6th Duke of Balakirev
Lukyan and Irina
Artist: Lady Alina Oretseva (later Alina, Duchess of Balakirev)
Year: 1793
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 142.2 x 111.8cm
Location: Morozov House, Balakirev, Ravka
One of dozens of surviving paintings completed by Lady Alina of her children, the original was hung in her suite of rooms and it was copied by another artist as two miniatures – one kept in a locket by Lady Alina and the other in a pocket-watch by the 6th Duke of Balakirev, who was the children’s adoptive and step-father, as well as their rumoured biological father.
It is difficult to see in photographs of the painting, but if you examine the original then you may spot four letters in the top right-hand corner – A A L I – which it is believed are meant to refer to Alina, Aleksander, Lukyan and Irina, one of many pieces of evidence supporting the theory that the Duke was indeed the biological father of both of Lady Alina’s children.
Excerpt from the Wikipedia page of Lukyan and Irina (Oretseva)
Received the news today that Lord Malyen has died after accidentally falling into the Sokol River. I can only imagine he was as disgustingly drunk as he always is these days. I would almost believe Aleksander might have had something to do with it, but of course he has been here all week, playing the father to those little brats.
Lord Malyen’s widow puts on the barest show of mourning and does not seem to grieve at all, which is most unseemly. I tried to suggest to Aleksander that it was no long seemly to have her under our roof, but he became quite furious and ordered that I should go and stay at the house in Os Alta for a while. I think this particularly cruel, for he knows I will not be able to participate in the joys of the season, having to wear mourning for Lord Malyen since he was my husband’s nephew. If only I …
Excerpt from the diary of Elizaveta, Duchess of Balakirev, dated 2nd February 1799
Concluded our visit to Morozov House with a most delightful ball.
David consented to dance once and only stepped on my feet three times. Naturally, Aleksander took Alina to the floor as many times as was appropriate (and then once more for good measure).
The Duchess is in Os Kervo at present and so Alina acted as hostess. It does make me wish that things could be different, for she and Aleksander together do make the most charming of hosts.
Excerpt from the diary of Genya, Duchess of Os Alta, dated 22nd June 1802
… She is dead, and now Aleksander is free.
I imagine Genya is already planning a shopping trip to get Alina’s new trousseau. I’m unsure whether it’s the done thing, considering they are not exactly young, but it is a braver man than I who gets between Genya and her modiste appointments …
Excerpt from a letter dated 5th September 1803 from Lord Ivan Kaminsky to Sir Fedyor Kaminsky, on the death of Elizaveta, Duchess of Balakirev
… and I will not deny, papa, that it was a tiring ordeal indeed. Still, you need not worry for me, as the doctor says I have a very strong constitution and he does not foresee any danger. Mama and Genya are both full of good advice, and Danil is the most attentive of husbands, although he seems a little afraid of holding the babies.
Twins, papa! I confess, it is all a little daunting, but they are the sweetest little creatures imaginable and I am sure you will agree once you meet them. Danil wishes for the boy to be called David, after his own father, but we have agreed that the girl shall be Aleksandra (although mama says you must not spoil her terribly just because she is your namesake).
Mama tells me that your Parliamentary business is nearly concluded and that you will be here soon, so I will save up the rest of my news for when I see you …
Excerpt from a letter dated 10th October 1809 from Irina, Countess of Yelinka (later Duchess of Os Alta) to the 6th Duke of Balakirev following the birth of her eldest children
Dearest Readers,
Well, it cannot be said that the rare visits of the Duke and Duchess of Balakirev to town do not bring excitement to the city.
This author is unsure if she has ever seen such a clear example of a love match than this devoted pair.
Perhaps a little too devoted, some might say. If you have not heard, gentle readers, the Duke and Duchess were spotted in rather amorous embraces at both Os Alta Park and the opera yesterday.
Still, one cannot help but envy them and their obvious affection – it is all too lacking in many society marriages.
Yours truly,
Lady Whistledown
Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers, 18th March 1814
A Love Affair
Directed by Saul Dibb
Written by Jeffrey Hatcher
Anders Thomas Jensen
Saul Dibb
Based on Alina & Aleksander: A Love Affair by Leigh Bardugo
Produced by Michael Kuhn
Gabrielle Tana
Starring Jessie Mei Li
Ben Barnes
Archie Renaux
Gemma Arterton
Simon Sears
Julian Kostov
Daisy Head
Luke Pasqualino
Running Time 129 minutes
Excerpt from the Wikipedia page of A Love Affair (2023 film)
Dearest Alina,
You brought light into the dark corners of my life and made me whole.
My love for you is eternal.
Sasha
Inscription written by the 6th Duke of Balakirev in a leather-bound sketchbook owned by Alina, Duchess of Balakirev