Kolinskyfell

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Guo Songtao , with Kolinsky fur and cap (before 1891)

The article deals with the skins and fur products of the Kolinsky (Kolinski) or Kolonok and the Solongoi or Altai weasel

The names for products made from Kolinsky fur, which rarely appear in the fur trade, are misleading: Siberian mink , Chinese mink , Japanese mink , Koli mink, as well as fire marten , earth marten or tartar marten. The hair structure does not indicate an aquatic animal, nor is the Kolinsky way of life similar to that of the mink . Older names are Kalinken , Kulonki , also Kolänka , Karlinken and Kolinkenfelle .

Since April 15, 1967, according to the RAL regulations, in addition to Kolinsky, only the names Chinese weasel and Japanese weasel are permitted.

Until recently, the pelts were in great demand in those countries and areas in which yellow had a special status as the color of state and power. They formed an important article of trade in China, Manchuria and Turkey. In western countries the reddish yellow color was less popular, so that the skins here were almost always dyed before the final processing. In addition to the use of fur, the hair of the bushy tail used to be processed into fine paintbrushes , even today to a small extent . The natural elasticity, the fineness and the large color absorption of the flaky hair surface make the hair superior to other materials.

Due to its rarity, the Kolinsky fur did not play an important role in the fur industry. The Washington Convention for the Conservation of Species, CITES, lists this species in Appendix III of the Convention. It is referred to as a species with special trade regulations in India. The European Union assesses them in the EU Species Protection Regulation (EC) No. 338/97 or in the amendment by EC Regulation 407/2009 Appendix D as a species whose import quantity into the European Union justifies trade surveillance.

The subspecies of the fire marten described in zoology cannot be reconciled with the names commonly used in the fur trade.

Kolinsky (Kolonok)

Kolinsky tail hair brush
Necklace made of mink-dyed Kolinsky skin (1st half of the 20th century)

come from the areas from the Urals to the Amur , Korea , Manchuria , partly from northern China.

The young animals are initially gray-blue, the initially darker, mostly brownish summer fur of the adult animal turns pale yellow in the course of summer, the fur color in winter is reddish yellow. The name fire marten is derived from the glowing, sometimes almost garish, fiery ocher yellow. The forehead and head side, the mask, are brown, on the neck and throat there are sometimes small whitish markings, otherwise mostly uniformly colored. The white snout is always bordered with a black ring. The sides of the fur are only slightly paler than the top. The fur structure is similar to that of the ermine, the hair is longer and coarser than that of the European or American mink, the upper hair length of the winter fur is 30 to 40 mm. The hair is dense, soft and of medium length, the well-developed undercoat is soft. The elongated coat of the Kolinsky has a coat length of around 31 to 39 cm and is slightly longer-haired than the normal weasel. The head is narrow and pointed, the limbs are relatively short.

The durability coefficient of Kolinsky fur is 20 to 30 percent. When the fur animals are divided into the fineness classes silky, fine, medium-fine, coarser and hard, the Kolinsky hair and also the hair of the Chinese weasel are classified as fine, the hair of the mountain Kolinsky and that of the Solongois as medium-fine.

Characteristic is the striking, bushy tail, 13 to 21 cm long , like the marten , while the mink tail is flatter and narrower. The skins were usually sold without the tails, the strong, silky hair was made into paintbrushes, which at least in England were also sold as sable fur brushes. Removing the tails before tanning is done so that the hair is not affected during the tanning process. Since the replacement by plastic, only a few, high-quality Kolinsky hair brushes have been produced for fine work. In 1906 a hide cost 30 to 40 pfennigs, in 1911 the price had soared to 1.50 marks, without a tail it was 25 pfennigs cheaper.

Provenances:

  • Siberia
West Siberian are considered the best, but the difference from East Siberian Kolinsky is small. The differences are strongly dependent on the weather, and the value relationship can also be reversed in some years.
The Russian standard differentiates between Kuznetsk , Tomsk , Barabinsk , Tobolsk , Jenniscisk , Lensk , Jakutsk , Amur , Sabajkal and Bashkiria .
The best varieties are Kuznetsk, Tobolsk, Barabinsk and Tomsk.
Yakutsk, Amur, Sabajkal are considered less noble. These are also stretched narrower.
They are also sorted into large, medium, and small. - I, II.
The raw hides are delivered in the form of a bag with the hair inside.
  • Manchuria (Northeast China)
North (Amur): Northern skins of Manchuria are large, fine and very light in leather. They are similar to the Amur-Kolinsky (Russia).
Middle ( Kirin ): Small and light skins.
South ( Mukden ): The so-called Mukdenkolinsky come from the south of Manchuria, they are small and dark, of weaker quality and more similar to the Chinese weasel.
  • China:
Deliveries are mostly made from the Shanghai-Kwan area, southwest of Manchuria, northeast Tientsin, but in small quantities.
The hair on the neck is strikingly flat.
  • Korea
Very large skins come from here; reddish to blackish; heavy-leather. In 1984, 12,360 raw Korean Kolinsky were sold at a Leningrad auction.

The skins were mostly dyed on sable or mink, the use was the same as for mink (large clothing parts, fur lining and other things ).

Solongoi, Newchwang Wiesel, zoological Altai weasel

Chinese dignitaries with Kolinsky furs
Kolinskycape (London 1921)

Further names are Bergkolinsky, Steinkolinsky, Kolonok kamenni (the skins from Manchuria are referred to by this name according to Emil Brass (1911)).

As Solongoi , also Berg- or Steinkolinsky in the trade, the skin of the Altai weasel is from the Altai and Sajan Mountains to Manchuria (northeastern China). The thick, shiny hair is of medium length; sand yellow with a bluish-gray undercoat. It is much flatter and coarser than the Kolinsky. The hair structure roughly corresponds to that of the Chinese weasel, partly also that of the Russian summer hermaphrodite .

The skins of females are up to a third smaller than males. The raw hides are usually delivered in the form of a bag, with the hair inwards and sometimes outwards.

The range of fur corresponds to that of the Kolinsky, which is now usually auctioned under this name.

The processing is also like that of the Kolinsky, mostly colored in brown shades (mink, marten, sable). Before 1930, the material was promoted more strongly by a Parisian fashion house, including for coats, jackets and trimmings.

Chinese weasel, also Compo weasel

The fur is yellowish, partly brownish yellow, sometimes light reddish. The silky to coarse hair is of medium length (similar to the mink), compared to the Kolinsky it is flatter, coarser and more yellow-brown. The skins from South Kansi , Sichuan , Kweitschau to Yunnan have a blackish tail tip, not as pronounced as that of the ermine. The fur length is about 40 cm, the tail length about 10 to 15 cm. The skins of the females (females) are sometimes considerably smaller than the males, silky and, according to their body size, shorter-haired. Three prepared female skins reach the size of two male skins (males).

Asian weasel skins were often traded as Chinese mink or Japanese mink until the 1960s . In 1965, after the German fur trade had rushed ahead, the International Fur Trade Association considered recommending that its member organizations refrain from using the designation Chinese or Japanese mink in the future because it was misleading and designate them as Chinese or Japanese weasels. The British fur trade association initially refused to accept this, but with effect from January 1, 1966, this recommendation was generally approved.

The tail hairs are processed into paintbrushes.

The occurrence is China, especially the Yangtze River area .

The skins come in the form of bags in the inner-Asian trade, the hair partly on the outside, partly on the inside, today mostly with a tail.

Provenances:

  • Compos , Kompos, Compo, Kompero - also available as Tungchow in stores
They are silky, the color is lighter to darker yellow. The best variety comes from the area between Nanjing and around Anking , the lower reaches of the Yangtze, mainly north of the river.
The finest come from the area of Wusih , the mouth of the Yangtze River, between Shanghai and Nanjing. Since there are only very few skins, they are sorted into the top quality of the Compos.
  • Hankow (middle to lower reaches of the Yangtze River)
Hankow , also known as Nanking goods, are coarser; reddish and weaker in quality.
They are delivered in larger quantities.
60 to 70 percent of male skins are quite coarse to hard in the hair; the color is 60 percent dark and 40 percent light; female around 50 percent dark and 50 percent light.
Shantung are usually 1.5 cm shorter than the previously mentioned types, but some of the goods should be particularly large. The hair is silky; slightly pink. They are lighter than other varieties. The northern varieties, which should be a bit coarser, are also sorted into the Tientsin goods.
The skins are small and narrow in the hair. The leather is stronger, especially in the head area, especially in the case of the second-generation goods. Occasionally you can also find them in the Hankow ranges. However, there are only a few Amoy on the market.

World trade usually only takes over the better provenances (Yangtze River). These are often only referred to as rivers or Shanghai weasels , the very best were called Compo weasels.

The more southern the origin, the coarser and lower the quality, especially with male skins. Especially after finishing (tanning) there are IIa types that are difficult to use.

  • Dimensions
Large skins (males) 41 to 51 cm, average (average) 46 cm
Small furs (females) 30 cm and more, average (average) 36 cm

In 1958 it is noted that the length information has increased compared to earlier. The reason is assumed to be a narrower, longer span.

  • Assortment of raw materials

According to the quality, raw lots usually contain:

I. variety 80 percent, II. Variety 20 percent, sometimes the ratio is 90:10.

According to the size (ratio of males to females):

60:40 (1958),
formerly: Ex large, large 60 percent; medium, small 20 percent each.

Japan weasel

The back of the fur of the Japanese weasel is brown, the underside is clearly lighter, more reddish. The head and paws are even darker than the back. The brown face mask is clearly visible, the upper lips and throat are white. The skins are on average smaller than the Chinese weasels but much more silky. The skins of females are much smaller than those of males and are much more fine-haired.

The hair of the significantly shorter tails was also processed into, but less high-quality, paintbrushes.

The skins used to be wrongly known as Japanese mink (so called by the tobacco shop Brass in 1886 when it was first imported ) or Itatsi , also called Itachi .

In 1929 the export of female skins was banned, with the intention not to allow it again. At the time, around 350,000 to 400,000 weasel skins were exported annually. The main buyer was America, where they were dyed in mink as a "solid and effective" coat material.

Fire martens from Kashmir and Tibet

The skins are light-faced. They are apparently no longer in the trade.

The entire raw fur of the fire martens was delivered in the form of a bag, hair on the inside and partly also on the outside.

trade

Fur necklace , in mink for 150 marks, advertised in Kolinsky for 50 marks (1907)

Depending on their origin, the skins are traded under different names. The Russian tobacco product standard has ten provenances for Kolinsky skins as well as for Solangoj, namely
1. Kusneczk, 2. Tomsk, 3. Barabinsk, 4. Tobolsk, 5. Eniseysk, 6. Lensk, 7. Jakutsk, 8. Amur, 9 Sabajkal, 10. Bachkiria. They are still sorted into the first variety with full hair and II. Variety with half hair, according to size and the degree of damage.

All trade between Russia and China was carried out via Kjachta in Transbaikal around 1900 . Around 1800 bellows of "fire yellow Koloniki" were traded on the local market for 25 to 27 kopecks. Normal weasel bellows, on the other hand, only cost 2 to 10 kopecks.

In 1895, a specialist furrier book says that Kolinsky is rarely processed in Germany, as in other countries. Repeated efforts had been made to introduce the fur here, but despite the resemblance to the valuable sable up to then without success. In England, the goods were sometimes dyed darker, but the result was without any shading or drawing, and the leather was also not very durable and so the use here is zero .

The yellowish-red upper hair of the Kolinsky fur is difficult to dye, especially in less silky qualities (in contrast to the undercoat), and strong color changes often make the hair brittle. However, refiners from London and Leipzig succeeded in gently coloring the fur in a sable or mink-like color, which gave consumption a significant boost (around 1900). Today, thanks to modern finishing methods, the silky qualities are very appealing, durable and have a stable leather.

After the First World War the skins were exported on a large scale, mainly to North America. There they were mostly dyed mink, sable or marten colors, made into collars and necklaces, but also into trimmings, inner linings, jackets and coats.

Together with the similar but more expensive mink, the fur enjoyed some popularity in the first post-war decades. The fashion of velvety fur refinement , especially of the mink, by plucking or scissors led to a renewed renaissance beginning in the 1990s. The velvet Kolinsky fur is not as hard-wearing as the velvet mink, but it is particularly light and inexpensive.

processing

Sketches for processing Kolinsky skins (1902)
Colored Kolinsky trims (Darmstadt, 1999)
Mink-colored Kolinsky trimmings
on a film costume of the actress Romy Schneider (1959)

In 1895 it was stated that the finishing was the same as for marten skins. Because the Kolinsky does not have throat patches, processing is easier than with the marten.

The skins are already tanned and put together into bars (approx. 60 × 120 cm) on the world market. To do this, the skins are sewn next to each other in straight seams and in three, four or five rows in a bow, one above the other, with the curvature of the bow always pointing towards the head. The mostly very flat sides are not used. In 1959, Kolinsky said that prefabrication into semi-finished products was still rare.

At present, most of the Kolinsky tablets are plucked and dyed, in keeping with the fashion, as Samtkolinsky. Kolinsky is used as the outer fur, and because of its low weight, it is often used as an inner lining.

The ironing process that concludes the processing of the plucked Kolinsky fur should, as with all velvet-finished furs, be repeated from time to time during use, as the undercoat loses its stability after a while, especially when it is very damp.

In 1965, the fur consumption for a fur board sufficient for a Kolinsky coat was given as 70 to 80 pelts (so-called coat “body” ). A board with a length of 112 centimeters and an average width of 150 centimeters and an additional sleeve section was used as the basis. This corresponds roughly to a fur material for a slightly exhibited coat of clothing size 46 from 2014. The maximum and minimum fur numbers can result from the different sizes of the sexes of the animals, the age groups and their origin. Depending on the type of fur, the three factors have different effects.

Numbers and facts

  • In 1890 the total number of Chinese and Japanese weasel skins is estimated at around 15,000, eight years later it was over half a million.
  • Around 1910 , the amount of fur for the Kolinsky was estimated at 100,000 to 150,000 per year, for that of the Newchwang weasel at around 30,000.
  • In 1925 the Russian Kolinsky export amounted to 344,077 pieces.
    In 1925 , the tobacco wholesaler Jonni Wende offered mink-colored Kolinsky for 11 to 18 Reichsmarks.
  • In 1939 in a report on tobacco products from Manchuria : “All varieties of a Kolonok lot must have tails , as these represent a certain value. 3 to 3% [sic!] May be missing. Very often the Chinese simply sew on the missing tails, and they do it so skillfully that it is difficult to determine whether they are real or later sewn on. They also skillfully pluck the hair through the carrion side. This hair is used exclusively for the production of Chinese writing brushes and brings very high prices. The European tobacco companies used to sell the torn tails to the Chinese, to Man. Dollars - .15 each. Writing brushes are also made from this. "
  • Before 1944 the maximum price for colored Kolinsky skins was:
    large 25, - RM; small 18, - RM.
  • In 1955 the exported quantities for Kolinsky skins from the Soviet Union were 263,000,
In 1965 given as 105,000.

See also

annotation

  1. ↑ The specified comparative values ​​( coefficients ) are the result of comparative tests by furriers and tobacco shops with regard to the degree of apparent wear and tear. The figures are ambiguous; in addition to the subjective observations of shelf life in practice, there are also influences from tanning and finishing as well as numerous other factors in each individual case. More precise information could only be determined on a scientific basis. The division was made in steps of 10 percent each. The most durable types of fur according to practical experience were set to 100 percent.

Web links

Commons : Clothing made from Kolinsky skins  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Friedrich Lorenz: Rauchwareenkunde. Self-published, Berlin 1958, p. 99.
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g Christian Franke, Johanna Kroll: Jury Fränkel ’s Rauchwaren-Handbuch 1988/89. 10. Revised and supplemented new edition. Rifra-Verlag, Murrhardt, pp. 22-24.
  3. ^ Christian Heinrich Schmidt: The furrier art . Verlag BF Voigt, Weimar 1844, p. 23.
  4. ↑ a b c d Fritz Schmidt : The book of the fur animals and fur. FC Mayer Verlag, Munich 1970, pp. 279-282.
  5. ^ A b Max Bachrach: Fur, a Practical Treatise. Prentice Hall Inc., New York 1936, pp. 378-384.
  6. ↑ N. Dawaa, M. Not, G. Schünzel: About the fur animals of the Mongolian People's Republic. In: The fur trade. Hermelin-Verlag Dr. Paul Schöps, 1971, No. 1, p. 9.
  7. ↑ Dr. Ingrid Weigel: The Kolonok - Its trade names. In: The fur trade. Hermelin Verlag Dr. Paul Schöps, Leipzig / Vienna 1961 No. 2, pp. 75–76.
  8. ↑ Prof. Dr. sc. nat. Dr. med vet. hc Heinrich Dathe, Berlin; Dr. rer. pole. Paul Schöps, Leipzig with the collaboration of 11 specialists: Fur Animal Atlas. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Jena 1986, pp. 162-163.
  9. ↑ Dr. Paul Schöps, Dr. H. Brauckhoff (Stuttgart), K. Häse (Leipzig), Richard König (Frankfurt / Main), W. Straube-Daiber (Stuttgart): The durability coefficients of fur skins. In: The fur trade. Volume XV, New Series, No. 2, Hermelin Verlag Dr. Paul Schöps, Berlin a. a. 1964, pp. 56-58.
  10. ↑ Paul Schöps, Kurt Häse: The fineness of the hair - the fineness classes . In: Das Pelzgewerbe Vol. VI / New Series, 1955 No. 2, Hermelin-Verlag Dr. Paul Schöps, Leipzig, Berlin, Frankfurt am Main, pp. 39–40 (Note: fine (partly silky); medium-fine (partly fine); coarse (medium-fine to coarse)).
  11. ^ Frank Grover: Practical Fur Cutting and Furriery. The Technical Press, London 1936, p. 64.
  12. ↑ a b c d e f Emil Brass : From the realm of fur. Publishing house of the "Neue Pelzwaren-Zeitung and Kürschner-Zeitung", Berlin 1911, pp. 489–492.
  13. ↑ a b c d e f g h Dr. Paul Schöps (Leipzig), Kurt Häse (Leipzig), Friedrich Hering (Frankfurt am Main), Richard König (Frankfurt am Main): Chinese weasel, Kolinsky and Solongoy. In: The fur trade. No. 3, Hermelin-Verlag Dr. Paul Schöps, Frankfurt am Main / Leipzig 1958, pp. 106–110.
  14. ↑ a b c Aladar Kölner in Fa. D. Kölner, Leipzig: Chinese, Manchurian and Japanese fur skins. In: Rauchwarenkunde. Eleven lectures on the subject of fur. Verlag Der Rauchwarenmarkt, Leipzig 1931, pp. 115–116.
  15. ↑ Editor: Korean Kolinsky 100 percent cleared. In: Pelz International. Issue 11, Rhenania-Verlag, Koblenz November 1984, p. 45. Note: The price quoted is 7.50 to 0.35 dollars, the second price obviously a misprint.
  16. ↑ According to Shitkov
  17. ↑ If the author is not stated: General Assembly of the International Fur Trade Association . In: Die Pelzwirtschaft , October 10, 1965, p. 65.
  18. ↑ Fränkel, primary source Harbin
  19. ^ Keyword “Kolinsky” In: Alexander Tuma: Pelz-Lexikon. Volume XIX, Verlag Alexander Tuma, Vienna 1950.
  20. ↑ a b Heinrich Hanicke: Handbuch für Kürschner , Verlag von Alexander Duncker, Leipzig, 1895, p. 67
  21. ↑ Paul Cubaeus, "practical furriers in Frankfurt am Main": The whole of Skinning. Thorough textbook with everything you need to know about merchandise, finishing, dyeing and processing of fur skins. Second, revised edition by Alexander Tuma. A. Hartleben's Verlag, Vienna / Pest / Leipzig 1911, p. 42.
  22. ^ H. Werner: The furrier art. Publishing house Bernh. Friedr. Voigt, Leipzig 1914, p. 97.
  23. ↑ Alexander Tuma jun: The practice of the furrier. Published by Julius Springer, Vienna 1928, pp. 158–159.
  24. ↑ Dr. Paul Schöps (Leipzig), Alfred Erler (Frankfurt am Main), Kurt Häse (Leipzig), Leopold Hermsdorf (Frankfurt am Main), Richard König (Frankfurt am Main): Semi-finished products from Fellwerk. In: The fur trade. Publishing house Dr. Paul Schöps, Leipzig / Vienna 1959, No. 2, p. 68.
  25. ↑ Paul Schöps u. a .: The material requirements for fur clothing. In: The fur trade. Vol. XVI / New Series 1965 No. 1, Hermelin-Verlag Dr. Paul Schöps, Berlin a. a., pp. 7-12. Note: The information for a body was only made to make the types of fur easier to compare. In fact, bodies were only made for small (up to about muskrat size ) and common types of fur, and also for pieces of fur . The following dimensions for a coat body were taken as a basis: body = height 112 cm, width below 160 cm, width above 140 cm, sleeves = 60 × 140 cm.
  26. ^ Kurt Nestler: Tobacco and fur trade. Dr. Max Jänecke Verlagbuchhandlung, Leipzig 1929, p. 92.
  27. ↑ Jonni Wende company brochure, Rauchwaren en wholesale, Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Leipzig, New York, August 1925, p. 10.
  28. ↑ Willy Scharrmann: Manchurian tobacco products . In: Der Rauchwarenmarkt No. 24, June 16, 1939, p. 2.
  29. ^ Friedrich Malm, August Dietzsch: The art of the furrier. Fachbuchverlag Leipzig 1951, p. 45.