noun
or russia calf
Usage: usually capitalized R
1. : leather made from various skins by tanning with barks of the willow, birch, or oak and then rubbing the flesh side with birch-tar oil which imparts a peculiar odor and protects from insects
2. : a chrome-tanned or vegetable-tanned fancy leather that resembles the original Russia leather and is generally made from calf or small cattle hides