Treasures that cannot be shared. Wreck of the Frau Maria (5 photos)

Most people associate the age of sail with the creaking of sails, distant and wild lands and, of course, pirate treasures in metal-bound chests containing scatterings of ancient gold coins and precious stones.





Flute "Frau Maria"

This image, inspired by modern culture, actually has little to do with reality. And now even a tiny coin raised from the bottom of the ocean can turn out to be a treasure. Many of the lost treasure ships have been searched for years and cannot be found for completely different reasons. But most of these ships are associated with the warm seas and coasts of the American continents. But one should not think that ships carrying countless treasures have never perished in our waters.

The end of the 17th century and the transition to the 18th century in Europe was marked by the Renaissance. Artists, sculptors and poets began to appear in large numbers at the royal courts, and among royal persons it was considered a special chic to collect art objects. Following the kings and queens, the highest nobility also reached out. Many collections have survived to this day - portraits and landscapes, images of battle scenes and sculptures that repeat Greek analogues or try to present something new. It is not surprising that in the Russian Empire, having a collection of paintings by famous artists was considered absolutely necessary.

In October 1771, the two-masted flute Frau Maria left Amsterdam. According to the documents, it was stated that there was diplomatic mail on board, but in fact, the Frau Maria was carrying on board a large collection of paintings and works of art for the imperial collection and personally for Catherine II. All this was purchased in Europe on her personal instructions, and a high-ranking nobleman was on board as an escort.

After leaving the Netherlands, the flute visited the ports of Germany, Denmark and Sweden, but then, near the city of Abo, on the coast of modern Finland, he was caught in a strong storm. In bad weather conditions, "Frau Maria" hit a rock and received significant damage. The ship began to slowly sink under water. Almost the entire crew escaped, but did not take any of the precious cargo with them.

After the death of the ship, Catherine II negotiated for two years with the king of Sweden, who at that time belonged to the territory of modern Finland, to allow him to raise the ship from the bottom. However, the ship was not at the bottom in the place where it sank. The country, which was in a difficult situation due to constant wars, had no time for this, and the ship with art treasures lying at the bottom was forgotten for many years.



Catherine II talks with the Swedish King Gustav III

In 1999, a group of Finnish divers found the wreck and identified it as the Frau Maria. The ship lay near the islands of Jurmo and Burgsto at a depth of just over 40 meters. The scuba divers managed to bring to the surface the ship's cash register, which contained about seven hundred Russian coins of the 18th century. These coins are now on display in museums in Finland.

It is worth noting that during normal transportation the paintings and statues, which had lain for a couple of centuries in cold salt water, would hardly have been preserved, but according to the documents it was stated that they were all packed in lead boxes filled with wax. Modern experts believe that this method provides serious guarantees of safety even after all these years under water. And experts estimated the value of the Frau Maria's cargo at approximately 1.5 billion euros in modern money.





Clay pipe and smoking accessories recovered by divers from the Frau Maria

Thus, it is not surprising that a real legal and political battle unfolded around the discovered treasures. Sweden, Holland, Russia and Finland lay claim to the Frau Maria's cargo. The divers who found the ship also initially laid claim to it, but lost the case in court and, as a result, did not receive any rewards for the find. Dutch claims to the cargo turned out to be unfounded when it turned out that Catherine II had paid for the cargo in full. The Finnish side refers to the law on antiquities in their country. According to it, if a ship stays in Finnish territorial waters for more than a hundred years, it automatically becomes Finnish property. This date officially fell on 2018, however, this does not finally resolve the issue of the ownership of the treasures, as it can be disputed at the international level.



Vrouw Marian viimeinen matka. A book by Finnish researchers dedicated to the Frau Maria, published in 2014 and describing all currently available data about the ship and its condition

To date, the legal status of “Frau Maria” is still in limbo. The treasures lying at the bottom of the sea cannot be divided among modern states in any way, and due to the aggravation of the international situation, most likely, the decision on the fate of the long-lost ship will be postponed indefinitely. It is also worth noting that all parties believe that the cultural monuments lying at the bottom are in a partially acceptable condition. On the other hand, even if this is not the case, the “Frau Maria” raised from the day will in itself be a wonderful monument to those years.