1700-luvun lopulla unohtuneella reseptillä parkittua venäläistä poronnahkaa, joka upposi Cornwallin rannikon pohjamutiin laivan mukana ja naarattiin sieltä 70-luvulla. NY Times:
"The leather is pre-Revolutionary Russian reindeer hide and is said by its owners to have wonderful qualities of wear, luster and aroma. The shoes made from it are strikingly beautiful, notable for their rich mid-brown color and cross-hatching applied by the hands of Russian tanners in the 18th century. But however exceptional the leather is, it comes with what is for many a more appealing feature: an intriguing history.
The leather was recovered from a Danish brigantine that went down in a storm more than 200 years ago off the coast of Plymouth, England. The ship, the Catherina von Flensburg, was bound for Genoa from St. Petersburg, its cargo destined for Italian artisans, when it sank in December 1786.
...
In 1973, amateur divers discovered the remains of the Catherina and found its cargo of hides largely preserved from the saltwater by the thick black mud of Plymouth Sound.
Under British law, Prince Charles, as Duke of Cornwall, was the owner of the wreck and its contents. He allowed the diving club to sell the hides to finance the salvage operation."
(
koko juttu)
