Tatiana Morgunova

Club "Russian Culture", Toronto, Canada

Princess Mary Eristova, the femme fatale of the 20th century

In pre-revolutionary Russia, there was a rule that no one could enter the hall after the imperial couple. However, once at a memorial service for Count Muravyov, a lady-in-waiting to Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna entered the hall after the imperial couple. This was incredibly bold and beyond what was allowed, but Nicholas II, looking at the late-arriving lady-in-waiting, said: "It is a sin, princess, to be so beautiful."

On November 1, 1888, Princess Maria Prokofievna Eristova (Shervashidze) was born, the very lady-in-waiting destined to become Mary Eristova, a legend of her time, an incredible beauty, the muse of the great Georgian poet Galaktion Tabidze and the famous Russian artist Savely Sorin.

Princess Mary was born in Batumi to an ethnic Abkhaz family, a descendant of the rulers of Abkhazia, Prince Prokofiy Chachba, Shervashidze, a retired general and member of the State Duma. Her mother was a Georgian princess, Medea Konstantinovna Dadiani.

When Mary turned four, her family moved to St. Petersburg, which became the love of her life. She always longed to return to this city on the Neva. Even as a child, Mary asked her parents to send her to ballet school, but they were categorically against it, envisioning a different future for their daughter.

Her manners, innate aristocracy, and elegance attracted attention from a young age. She was so beautiful that everyone admired her wherever she appeared. It is no surprise that through the patronage of Princess Belozerskaya, Mary was received by Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna, who, enchanted by her, took her into her court. Mary shone in the social circles of Petersburg, becoming its ornament. The fame of her beauty spread throughout the empire.

In 1915, Mary met her fate and only love, Prince Georgy Nikolaevich Eristavi (Eristov), a great-great-grandson of the Georgian King Irakli II. The proud uhlan Gigosha Eristov forever captured her heart. In 1916, Mary's father passed away, and a year later, the revolution occurred in the country.

Mary, along with her mother and sister, went to Tiflis, where the artist Savely Sorin lived and worked. It was in Tbilisi that he created the painting "Portrait of Princess Mary," which later ended up in the possession of Grace Kelly, the wife of Prince Rainier III of Monaco. It is said that Grace admired the portrait every day.

Mary and Georgy married in Kutaisi in 1919, but with the arrival of Soviet power, they were forced to leave for Constantinople. Did Mary feel she was leaving her homeland forever? Perhaps.

In Constantinople, the couple did not suffer, but the former luxury was out of the question. They decided to move to Paris, where Mary met Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, who introduced her to Coco Chanel. The great fashion legislator offered Mary a job as a model in her fashion house.

With her exotic beauty, Mary became a style icon and a successful model in Paris. She was adored, but she herself did not love this work, considering it unworthy. However, the family needed money, and Mary earned decently. She did not like to remember that time. Her husband supported her, but he himself did not have a steady job. Nevertheless, they were happy and lived for each other.

In 1947, Prince Georgy Eristov passed away, and Mary was left alone. She never remarried, although many men sought her hand. She loved only her husband throughout her life. They had no children. In the mid-1960s, Mary moved to an elite Parisian retirement home. She lived reclusively, appearing in society only occasionally, but when she did, she was looked at with admiration. Her beauty remained until the end of her life.

The Georgian poet Galaktion Tabidze, in love with Mary, dedicated poems to her and once met her in Paris, but she did not notice him. They were from different worlds: he, the son of a village teacher, she, a princess. When at the end of her life Mary was asked if she knew about Tabidze's poems, she asked in surprise: "Who is that?"

Princess Mary Eristova (Shervashidze) passed away on January 21, 1986, in Paris at the age of ninety-seven.