Mystery surrounds a perfectly-preserved silk dress, which survived nearly four centuries at the bottom of the sea.

It was discovered in a shipwreck near the small Dutch island of Texel, 60 miles north of Amsterdam, and researchers have presented different theories about the origin of the red silk gown.

The merchant ship sank around 1650 and it was almost forgotten, until a storm washed away the silt that had been covering it for hundreds of years.

Divers then discovered the wreck in 2014 – including the miraculously preserved silk dress.

Other treasures salvaged from the ship included a silver dress, book covers – one of which researchers believe could link the find to the Stuart dynasty – and what appeared to be 17th-century women’s toiletries.

The dress is embroidered with silver and gold thread, implying that it was owned by a wealthy and powerful woman.

Along with the other items from the ship, the dress has been displayed in an exhibit at the Museum Kaap Skil on Texel.

The treasures will also be the subject of an upcoming documentary called The Dress and the Shipwreck, a podcast and a digital reconstruction.

The silk dress has drawn more museum visitors than usual during the winter months since it went on display in November, Corina Hordijk, the museum’s artistic director, told the New York Times.

She added: ‘The thought that this dress was on the bottom of the sea for centuries is insane.

‘The last person who touched it before this was probably the person who wore it.’

The dress is believed to have been 30 years old by the time it was loaded onto the ship. Researchers said it was likely created for an older woman, as it had a wider waist than usual.

Arnold van Bruggen, director of the documentary on the discovery, said: ‘These dresses were incredibly expensive. These dresses would not have been seen outside of royal court circles.’

Tijtske Mussche, who made the podcast accompanying the documentary, added that the dresses and the other objects that were found can help bring 17th century women into focus after stories have mainly been focused on naval men.

Mr van Bruggen and Ms Mussche told the New York Times that they had arrived at three plausible theories about the origin of the dress after speaking to historians, scientists and other researchers.

The first possibility is the dress belonged to a theater company fleeing from England, while the second points towards the dress and the other items belonging to the deceased wife of an ambassador and were on their way back to England from Constantinople.

The third theory is that they belonged to a wealthy Eastern European family who were escaping the Thirty Years’ War.

As well as the silk dress, a book was found on board, which researchers believe may point towards a connection to the Stuart dynasty, especially after a letter was found which proves that one of the ships carrying the retinue of Queen Henrietta Maria, the wife of Charles I, to Holland in 1642 sank in the same area as the new discovery.

Therefore, researchers have made the suggestion that the dress could have belonged to Jane Ker, Countess of Roxburghe, a controversial Catholic adviser to the queen who accompanied her on the voyage in the early years of the English Civil War.

Divers from the Dutch island of Texel frequently stumble upon old shipwrecks because the area was used by vessels as a safe harbour while they were ploughing the North Sea, and many got in trouble while entering or leaving the region.

One Dutch expert said that the dress was the first complete item of clothing from the era to have been found in the country.