Unusual "royal" Maréchausséesabel/Dutch Klewang

[Ian]

This auction finished online recently. It came from an Australian seller and here is the lengthy auction description:

"A DUTCH MADE M. 1898 KLEWANG CUTLASS AND SCABBARD MANUFACTURED BY THE NED. WAPENMAGAZIN IN HAARLEM-DEN HAAG ABOUT 1900 FOR THE FORCES OF THE SULTANATE OF SOERAKARTA AND ETCHED ON THE BLADE AND SCABBARD WITH THE ROYAL CYPHER PBX OF THE SULTAN PAKUBUWONO X.

This Dutch made M.1898 Klewang Sword / Cutlass & Scabbard was one of those scarce examples produced about 1900 by the manufacturer NED. WAPENMAGAZIN in HAARLEM-DEN HAAG, in the Netherlands for the Sultanate of Soerakarta, a Dutch protectorate ruled by Sultan Pakubuwono X in what is now Indonesia. This is evident from the etching on the blade which is still partially readable; KRATON SOERAKARTA on the obverse side of the blade and NED. WAPENMAGAZIN HAARLEM-DEN HAAGon the reverse. Both scabbard and sword are also marked with the Royal Cypher PBX of the Sultan Pakubuwono X.

This cutlass is a very good example of what is commonly known by collectors as the Model M.1898 Klewang. The Klewang is a type of cutlass which originally derived from the weapons traditionally carried by Indonesian natives, and was later adopted by soldiers of the Dutch East India Company (the Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie or VOC). By the 1930s, it was carried as a sidearm by native police in the NEI. Some were used in combat against the Japanese, but they were more commonly employed as machetes against jungle foliage. The Japanese are known to have used them after their occupation in 1941 and many were taken as souvenirs by American and Australian servicemen from surrendering Japanese forces in 1945. For reference, a period photograph of 2 US soldiers, one holding a Japanese flag and the other an M.1898 Klewang, is attached.

This example being produced by NED. WAPENMAGAZIN in HAARLEM-DEN HAAG, as evidenced by the trademark on the blade (see picture). The style of the trademark puts the date of manufacture around 1900. This Klewang appears to be a trooper’s model on account of the fact that its fitted with a wooden grip, officer’s grips were ‘shagrin’ covered, although it may be that this example is just missing its original grip finish.

This example is in good original condition and was in use with the Royal Dutch East-Indian Army between 1900 and the end of WW2. What makes this sword particularly special however, is etching on the blade which clearly indicate this sword was issued to troops serving with the forces of the Sultanate of Soerakarta in what is now modern day Indonesia. A similar example is held in the collection of the Australian War Memorial as item RELAWM24941 and can be viewed at: https://www.awm.gov.au/exhibitions/alliesinadversity/japanese/army/ .

These Dutch Model M.1898 Klewang are well made and wereused by the Dutch Army and its Colonial Forces until WW2. This sword is probably a battlefield souvenir from the end of WW2 when Australian Forces were sent to re-occupy the Dutch East-Indies which had fallen to the Japanese in 1942. Swords were highly valued as souvenirs by Allied troops and it is quite possible, if not likely, that this weapon was a wartime memento.

This Dutch Colonial Model M.1898 Klewang is a good example of its type. It is fitted with a steel 3 bar half basket hilt, with a birdshead pommel and steel guard with steel ferrule. All metal furniture is in good condition with a very good patina as is the hardwood grip and silver braid wire. The patinated steel cutlass blade is ‘single-fullered’ and sweeping falchion shaped, is in good condition and etched on both faces (see pictures). The matching leather and brass scabbard, with single hanger-ring is also in similarly good condition, although it is now delicate, partially torn about two thirds of the way down, and has lost rigidity. It is stamped with the Royal Cypher PBX of the Sultan Pakubuwono X.

Maker: NED. WAPENMAGAZIN in HAARLEM-DEN HAAG
Overall Length: 736.5 mm
Blade Length: 622.0 mm
Blade Width (at guard): 32.00 mm
Scabbard: Steel, leather & brass – M.1898
Overall Length of Scabbard: 680.0 mm

The markings on this sword are clearly visible, with on the reverse blade face, the manufacturers trademark NED. WAPENMAGAZIN in HAARLEM-DEN HAAG. The blade is etched KRATON SOERAKARTA on the obverse side. Both scabbard and sword are also marked with the Royal Cypher PBX of the Sultan Pakubuwono X. The back edge of the hilt is stamped with the armoury number 38.

From Australia, this Dutch Colonial Model M.1898 Klewang is in good original condition and is a first class example of its type. What really makes it special though is the link to the Sultanate of Soerakarta, a Dutch protectorate ruled by Sultan Pakubuwono X in what is now Indonesia. It has everything you look for in a collectible sword; condition, patina, and provenance. This is only the second Dutch sword I have ever come across in Australia (I purchased it in Sydney) and it’s a ripper."

As the antique dealers would say, however, "there are some issues with this item." (see Figures 1, 2).

Hilt (Figure 1-A)

• The basket guard appears to be correct for a M1898. It has the small hole on the lower part for a finger-loop (see arrow Fig. 1-A)--this feature appears only on the M1898 and was removed for the M1905 and subsequent versions.*
• The backstrap appears correct. There is not, however, any sign of the rivet that should secure the basket guard and backstrap to the end of the tang.
• The wooden grip with finger contours is correct in shape, but it has been wrapped in silver(?) wire, a feature not found on standard marechaussee sabels or later klewangs of this type, nor on the Dutch cavalry saber hilt on which the marechausseesabel's hilt is based. This is definitely an "add on," but whether it was done at the time of manufacture, or later, is unknown.

Blade:

• From the dimensions provided, this blade appears to conform overall to the dimensions of a M1898 (or the M1905, M1911, M1940, M1941--they are very similar)
  
• There are several inscriptions etched into the blade that are clearly non-standard:
  • "PB" over "X" (the cypher of Sultan Pakubuwono X, ruler of Surakarta from 1893 to 1939) on the obverse side of the blade at forte (see auction pics below)—this marking appears to be upside down.
    
  • Also on the obverse side is a faint and partially incomplete inscription that the seller states is "NED. WAPENMAGAZIN in HAARLEM-DEN HAAG" (Figure 2)—this marking is upside down when read with the blade edge downwards (a departure from the orientation of maker's or distributor's marks on the obverse side of other Dutch swords).
  • "KRATON SOERAKATA" on the reverse side of the blade at forte (see auction pics below)—this marking is also upside down when read with the blade edge downwards.

Scabbard:

• This is not a standard M1898 scabbard for the following reasons:
  • The leather sheath shows two parallel lines embossed down its length—a feature inconsistent with museum examples and one not recorded until the M1905 Marechaussee sabel* (Figure 1-B).
    
  • The chape is non-standard and should be shorter with a single staple showing on the obverse side (missing on this example) and another single staple on the reverse side (Figure 1-C).
    
  • The brass(?) locket of the scabbard replaces the brass and leather standard fitting, and resembles somewhat the throat found on Dutch cavalry sabers—it bears the cypher "PB" over "X" that is oriented upright (compared with the inverted same inscription on the obverse forte of the blade) (Figure 1-D).

The most disturbing of these irregularities is the faint and barely legible etched mark of the Delft armory, albeit applied in what seems to be an upside down manner. According to Puype and de Stürler Boekwijt,* The Netherlands Ordnance Works had moved completely from Delft to Hem Bridge by 1898, and no marechaussee sabels were ever assembled at Delft. This raises a very large red flag about the authenticity of this sword. It is possible that the Netherlands Government commissioned the old Delft works to assemble a special consignment of swords for the Sultan, but there are other features, such as the reversed mark of the Delft facility that suggest that it was not put together by "NED. WAPENMAGAZIN in HAARLEM-DEN HAAG." Also, the marriage of this sword with what appears to be a M1905 or later scabbard is also disturbing, as well as the atypical furniture applied to it. The inscriptions could have all been done in the Netherland East Indies, but the dubious Delft marking is a hanging question.

For these various reasons, I did not bid on this sword. I hope that the winner is a member here and will provide us with more information about this interesting sword. I have written to J.P. Puype at the Netherlands Army Museum to see if he can shed any light on this sword.

Ian

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Reference

* Puype, JP & de Stürler Boekwijt, RJ. Klewang. Catalogus van het Legermuseum (Catalogue of the Dutch Army Museum). KNIL, Landmacht, Zeemacht, Marechaussee en Politie. Royal Netherlands Army and Arms Museum: Delft, 2001, pp 344.

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Attachments

Figure 1
Figure 2
A picture of Sultan Pakubuwono X
Pictures from the auction