A DUTCH COLONIAL PEDANG BENGKOK SWORD WITH A SILVER GARUDA-SHAPED HILT AND SCABBARD
Central Java, Dutch East Indies, Indonesia, second half 19th century

With a tapering curved (bengkok in Indonesian) single-edged steel blade with a strong pamor (a pattern in the blade made by means of forging together various metals, typically layered billets of steel and nickel alloys), the hilt and scabbard covered in beaten and chased silver sheet enhanced with typical Indonesian decorative patterns including stylised palmettes and continuous scrolls of thick foliage and flower trellis, the hilt in the shape of an eagle's head, possibly a reference to Garuda, the mythical vahana of the Hindu God Vishnu and the national emblem of Indonesia, the sinuous handguard a later addition, 72cm long including the scabbard.

Swords such as ours exemplify the wonderful cross-cultural mix between autochthonous Southeast Asian cultures and Dutch traditions. The shape of the blade and the addition of the handguard are in line with 19th-century Dutch colonial swords, but the decorative motifs and symbols are imbued with Southeast Asian references.

Not much is known about pedang bengkok swords, or who would wear them. However, it has been suggested that they could have been commissioned as ceremonial swords worn by the upper class, representing pan-Indonesian styles (please see: Mandarin Mansion Antiques, https://www.mandarinmansion.com/glossary/pedang-bengkok, last accessed 16/06/2022).

Dimensions: 72cm long including the scabbard