Mary Teissier

Mary Teissier (born Maria Petrovna Perevostchikova; 27 December 1917 – 1 August 1990) was a Ukrainian-French socialite, heiress, interior designer, and art collector. She is best known as the long-time mistress of American millionaire J. Paul Getty, with whom she lived at Sutton Place. When Getty died in 1976, she received the second-largest inheritance out of all of his mistresses. She was married to the Parisian socialite Lucien Teissier, with whom she owned the Villa San Michele in Tuscany. Through her mother, Teissier was a morganatic descendant of Emperor Alexander II and Empress Maria Alexandrovna of Russia.

Early life and family Teissier was born Maria Petrovna Perevostchikova in Odessa in 1917 to Petr Ghika-Perevostchikov and Countess Elizabeta Alexeevna Belevskya-Zhukovskya. Teissier's parents later divorced and her mother married the painter Arthur Lourié.

Through her mother, Teissier was a morganatic descendant of the House of Romanov and related to multiple Russian and German noble families. Teissier's maternal grandparents were Count Aleksey Belevsky-Zhukovsky, a second cousin of Tsar Nicholas II, and Princess Maria Petrovna Troubetskaya. Her husband transformed their Italian villa into a luxury boutique hotel. The Teissiers later divorced.

Affair with J. Paul Getty When she was thirty-six years old, Teissier was introduced to J. Paul Getty by their mutual friend Paul-Louis Weiller. Getty was a frequent guest of Teissier's at the Villa San Michele, particularly in between trips to Milan and Naples.

When Getty invited British interior designer Penelope Ann Kitson to stay at Sutton Place, Teissier and Getty's other live-in mistresses, Rosabella Burch and Lady Ursula d'Abo, were infuriated. Both Teissier and Lady Ursula claimed to be Getty's "one true love" and Teissier had been the one to initially convince Getty to purchase the manor house. When Getty died in 1976, Teissier was listed alongside Lady Ursula, Kitson, Burch, Countess Marianne von Alvensleben, Karin Mannhardt, Hildegard Kuhn, Gloria Bigelow, Mary Maginnis, and Belene Clifford in his will. She received the second-largest inheritance from Getty, after Kitson, which included 2,500 shares of Getty Oil, valued at $413,125, and a $750 monthly allowance for the remainder of her life.

She died in Châteauneuf-Grasse on 1 August 1990.