Corduan
Corduan or Corduan leather , also called Cordovan , is a supple, soft, fine-grain leather tanned with tanner sumac and gall apples , made from goat, goat or sheepskin, similar to Moroccan or Saffian , which is mainly used in bookbinding , case making , fine bag making and ladies' shoemaking has been processed. Gray or yellowish hides could be improved in color and handle by a special winter bleaching. To do this, they were heavily soaked and exposed to frost and wind for a long time. With the advent of industrial chrome tanning , corduan leather has disappeared from product ranges, at least in the industrialized countries. Real Corduan is not to be confused with Corduan leather . Coming from the American area, this term is used today for horse leather .
History of the Corduan
The name appears from the 11th / 12th. Century on; it is derived from the Spanish city of Córdoba , where this processing technique spread early on. However, it developed in Africa and the Orient and reached Spain and Italy via trade routes . The specialization in one color developed early on in a number of cities, e.g. B. blue Corduan in Tokat in today's Turkey, red in Diyarbakır and Baghdad , yellow in Mosul and Nineveh and black in Oufra .
In the Corduan trade, various trade routes developed in the Middle Ages: a) In the south, finished corduans from Asia Minor ( Sadak , Ouchat , Smyrna ) to Venice as well as rawhide from the Levant for further processing to Leipzig , until the end of the Second World War metropolis of leather and fur trade. b) In the north Rohleder with the ships of the Hanseatic League from the Baltic States to Danzig and Lübeck , where further processing developed.
The craft of the Corduans in the German-speaking area
The Corduan makers belong to the very differentiated guild of tanners from an early age . In contrast to the Mediterranean region and the Arab world, which had a great interest in fine, thin and colored leathers at an early stage, this specialized handicraft did not establish itself until much later because of initially a lack of demand in the German-speaking region.
In the late Middle Ages, Hamburg , Lübeck , Stettin , Danzig and Leipzig developed into the main places of corduan manufacturing in the German-speaking area .
The first Corduan makers also often practiced the craft of leather dyeing , which led to the fact that, in contrast to the other tanners, they developed considerably more extensive skills here. In this respect, they had a comparatively high prestige within the tanner's guilds. Others processed their leather into small leather goods and shoes themselves, so that in the late Middle Ages shoemakers also used the name Corduan or Kordewaner in many places .
It is said that they tried hard to curb their business, as the apprenticeship period was relatively long and therefore expensive. After a four-year apprenticeship (master's sons three years) they became journeymen ; To become a master , two years of traveling and two more years of journeyman work in the place where they wanted to settle were required.
Corduans were often to be found in the trade stall, as they could stock up their goods. In many cases, they also took over products from trades to which they supplied their leather for resale, such as cases, belts and bags . With the beginning of mechanization in the tannery and the introduction of tanning with metal salts ( chrome tanning ) in the 19th century, the specialized tanning trade and with it the Corduan maker disappeared.
Corduan varieties
Turkish or white corduan
Also called Seraglio ; The main manufacturing center in the German-speaking area was Leipzig. The always very light, grain-free, undyed goat leather was sourced from Italy and smoothed, shaped and dyed on site.
Black corduan
The main places of production were Spain, Flanders , Avignon , Paris , Lyon , Limoges and Rouen . The quality of the Spanish was most valued, but the Corduan from Rouen optically exceeded it. Black corduanas from the Levant were considered of inferior quality . Black Corduan was traded by weight.
Colored corduan
In contrast to black corduan, this was traded in pieces. The main production area was in the Levant around Smyrna and Aleppo .
Black or smoky black corduan
The term smoky black has nothing to do with smoke, but is derived from rough : In contrast to the usual dressing of the grain side as the visible side, the rough underside (carrion side) of the leather is finished as the visible side of the smoke-black Corduan. It was made into small leather goods, preferably for mourning outfits , or into footwear for sensitive feet.
Smooth corduan
Mostly made of goats - occasionally buckskin, very light and thin. It is only trimmed on one side and is used in bookbinding and case making, since here the back is laminated to a carrier material and is so uninteresting. The surface is made more matt.
Smooth buck corduan
Stronger than the other Corduans and particularly suitable for processing in shoemaking. The particularly large buck corduans from Turkey and Hungary were traded as the best and therefore most expensive qualities .
Quality levels
Four quality levels were distinguished:
I. Danziger The very finest quality; it is deep black on the trimmed side, almost white on the grain side, very soft and plump to the touch and relatively odorless.
II. Lübeck very fine, but not quite as deep black or light as the Danziger and also not quite as plump and soft to the touch, with a slightly stubborn smell. The rawhide for Danziger as well as Lübeck Corduan mainly came from the Baltic States via the trade routes introduced since the days of the Hanseatic League.
III. Turkish Less fine and soft, less intensely colored and with a certain odor. The rawhide mostly came via trade routes from Asia Minor via Italy to Leipzig and was processed there.
IV. Leipziger The simplest quality made from native goat skins, often with a not particularly distinctive goat odor.
Linguistic relics of this ancient craft
The Corduan profession has been preserved in German-speaking countries in surnames such as Corduan , Cordua , Korduan , Kordewang , in Cordebisi (Italy) or Cordouanier in France .
In the center of the Swedish capital Stockholm there is the street Karduansmakargatan (German: Corduanmacherstraße ), in Gothenburg the Karduansmakaregatan and in Östhammar the Karduansmakaregränd (German: Corduanmachergasse ).
literature
- Herder's Conversations Lexicon. Freiburg im Breisgau 1854, Volume 2, p. 212.
- Johann Georg Krünitz: Economic encyclopedia or general system of the state, city, house and agriculture. 232 volumes. Berlin, Pauli 1773-1858. [1]
- Harry Kühnel (Hrsg.): Everyday life in the late Middle Ages. Graz, Vienna, Cologne Styria 1986 (3); ISBN 3-222-11528-1
- Rudi Palla : Disappeared work. A thesaurus of the lost professions. Frankfurt am Main, Vienna Book Guild 1995, ISBN 3-7632-4412-3
Web links
- Shoe fashion in the high and late Middle Ages
- Johann Georg Krünitz: Economic encyclopedia or general system of the state, city, house and agriculture. 232 volumes. Berlin, Pauli 1773-1858.
