Salome Andronikashvili () (also known as Salomea Ivanovna Andronikova), born Salome Andronikashvili ( ka, სალომე ანდრონიკაშვილი) (October 1888 – May 8, 1982) was a Georgian

socialite A socialite is a person, typically a woman from a wealthy or aristocratic background, who is prominent in high society. A socialite generally spends a significant amount of time attending various fashionable social gatherings, instead of having ...

of the literary and artistic world of pre-revolutionary

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

. A friend of the poets

Anna Akhmatova Anna Andreyevna Gorenko rus, А́нна Андре́евна Горе́нко, p=ˈanːə ɐnˈdrʲe(j)ɪvnə ɡɐˈrʲɛnkə, a=Anna Andreyevna Gorenko.ru.oga, links=yes; , . ( – 5 March 1966), better known by the pen name Anna Akhmatova,. ...

and

Osip Mandelstam Osip Emilyevich Mandelstam (, ; – 27 December 1938) was a Russian and Soviet poet. He was one of the foremost members of the Acmeist school. Osip Mandelstam was arrested during the repressions of the 1930s and sent into internal exile wi ...

, her physical and intellectual charms were celebrated in their poetry and inspired other writers such as

Grigol Robakidze Grigol Robakidze () (October 28, 1880, Sviri, Kutaisi Governorate – November 19, 1962, Geneva) was a Georgian writer, publicist, and public figure primarily known for his prose and anti-Soviet émigré activities. Biography He was born on Oc ...

and

Ilia Zdanevich Ilia Mikhailovich Zdanevich ( ka, ილია ზდანევიჩი, (April 21, 1894 – December 25, 1975), known as Iliazd ( ka, ილიაზდ), was a Georgian-Polish and French writer, artist and publisher, and an active participan ...

, as well as the artists Boris Grigoriev,

Alexandre Jacovleff Alexandre Yevgenievich Jacovleff (also spelt Iacovleff or Yakovlev, ; – 12 May 1938) was a neoclassicist painter, draughtsman, designer and etcher. Biography Alexandre was the son of a naval officer from Saint Petersburg, where he was born. B ...

and

Zinaida Serebriakova Zinaida Yevgenyevna Serebriakova (; (Лансере); – 19 September 1967) was a Russian painter. Early life and education Zinaida Yevgenyevna Lansere was born on on the estate of Neskuchnoye near Kharkov in the Russian Empire. Her fathe ...

.Smith, G. S. & Stone, G. C. (1998), ''Oxford Slavonic Papers: New Series''. Volume XXX, p. 90. Oxford University Press, . In exile she lived in Georgia (1917-1919), France (1919-1940), the United States of America (1940-1947) and Britain (1947-1982).

Family

Salome Ivanovna Andronikashvili was born in

Tiflis Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

(now Tbilisi, Georgia) in October 1888 into the family of the Georgian prince Ivane Andronikashvili (1863–1944) and his Russian wife Lidiya Pleshcheyeva-Muratova (1861–1953), a relative of the poet

Aleksey Pleshcheyev Aleksey Nikolayevich Pleshcheyev (; 8 October 1893) was a radical Russian poet of the 19th century, once a member of the Petrashevsky Circle. Pleshcheyev's first book of poetry, published in 1846, made him famous: "Step forward! Without fear or ...

. Salomea's real patronymic was "Ivanovna", but she thought that somewhat vulgar and adopted "Nikolayevna" instead. The

Andronikashvili The House of Andronikashvili ( ka, ანდრონიკაშვილები), sometimes known as Endronikashvili (ენდრონიკაშვილები), was a countly family in Georgia who claimed descent from emperor Andronico ...

family claimed descent from a natural son of the Eastern Roman Emperor

Andronikos I Komnenos Andronikos I Komnenos (; – 12 September 1185), Latinized as Andronicus I Comnenus, was Byzantine emperor from 1183 to 1185. A nephew of John II Komnenos (1118–1143), Andronikos rose to fame in the reign of his cousin Manuel I Komne ...

. Salomea also had a sister, Maria (1891–1976), and a brother, Jesse (1893–1937), who became a White Russian officer and was killed in 1937 during

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

's rule.

St. Petersburg and emigration

In 1906, at the age of 18, Salomea moved from Tiflis to St. Petersburg. There she married the tea businessman Pavel Andreyev, and gave birth to a daughter Irina. Her

salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

hosted, among others, the poets

and

. After divorcing Andreyev, Salomea had a 7-year affair with the Russian poet Sergey Rafalovich. After the revolutionary turmoil in Petrograd in 1917 Salomea and Rafalovich fled to her native Georgia. She settled in

, and co-edited the Russian-language literary monthly ''Orion''. Here she began a love affair with

Zinovy Peshkov Zinovy Alekseyevich Peshkov (, or ''Pechkov'', 16 October 1884 – 27 November 1966) was a Russian Empire, Russian-born France, French general and diplomat. Early life Born as Zalman or as Yeshua Zalman Sverdlov (in Russian: Zinovy Mikhai ...

, a French diplomat of Russian background. In 1919 she fled with Peshkov to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. She helped the Russian artist

escape from

Soviet Russia The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR or RSFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and the Russian Soviet Republic, and unofficially as Soviet Russia,Declaration of Rights of the labo ...

, and supported the poet

Marina Tsvetaeva Marina Ivanovna Tsvetaeva ( rus, Марина Ивановна Цветаева, p=mɐˈrʲinə ɪˈvanəvnə tsvʲɪˈta(j)ɪvə, links=yes; 31 August 1941) was a Russian poet. Her work is some of the most well-known in twentieth-century Russ ...

during her forced exile in Europe.Feiler, Lily (1994), ''Marina Tsvetaeva: The Double Beat of Heaven and Hell'', p. 178. Duke University Press, But when her brother's wife and their son

Constantin Constantin is an Aromanian, Megleno-Romanian and Romanian male given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, ...

fled to France in 1920, her brother was imprisoned in Russia by the Bolsheviks, and he later died in captivity. In 1925 Salomea married the

Menshevik The Mensheviks ('the Minority') were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with Vladimir Lenin's Bolshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903. Mensheviks held more moderate and reformist ...

lawyer Alexander Galpern, a Russian émigré to London and a close friend of

Alexander Kerensky Alexander Fyodorovich Kerensky ( – 11 June 1970) was a Russian lawyer and revolutionary who led the Russian Provisional Government and the short-lived Russian Republic for three months from late July to early November 1917 ( N.S.). After th ...

; but the couple lived separately. She worked for the fashion magazines of Lucien Vogel. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

she remained in Paris until 1940, when she moved to the

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

, where Galpern served at the British embassy. She took her grandson with her, but her daughter Irina, baroness Nolde, a member of the

French Resistance The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...

, remained in Nazi German captivity. After the War, Salomea moved back to Europe, and in 1947 settled in London. There she remained until her death on 8 May 1982, at the age of 94 - in a house which had been purchased for her by the philosopher Sir

Isaiah Berlin Sir Isaiah Berlin (6 June 1909 – 5 November 1997) was a Russian-British social and political theorist, philosopher, and historian of ideas. Although he became increasingly averse to writing for publication, his improvised lectures and talks ...

. In accordance with her will her ashes were scattered in

Trafalgar Square Trafalgar Square ( ) is a public square in the City of Westminster in Central London. It was established in the early-19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. Its name commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar, the Royal Navy, ...

. Мнухин Л., Авриль М., Лосская В
Российское зарубежье во Франции 1919—2000
— Москва: Наука; Дом-музей Марины Цветаевой. 2008.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Andronikova, Salomea 1888 births 1982 deaths Salomea People from Tbilisi Nobility from Saint Petersburg Socialites from the Russian Empire Salon holders from the Russian Empire