GOBANG IN DUTCH MUSEUMS:

Wereldmuseum Rotterdam, Collection Nr. 1714        Measurements: L 74.5x Wdth 9.3x Thk 3,6cm

Photo 13

      Provenance: This sword had been donated to the “Museum voor Land- en Volkenkunde in oprichting”, in 1884 by Dr. Eli van Rijckevorsel. 

      According to the information in the database of the Wereldmuseum Rotterdam, it was mainly used for deer hunting (See also Chapter "Age and Use" , and it is made of steel, bone, horn and Ivory.

      This particular piece would be listed in “Notitie van Nederlandsch-Indische wapens, kleedingstukken enz.”; van “van Rijckevorsel”; Nr 195; ca. 1877.

      From 1874 till 1877 Van Rijckevorsel travelled among the Indonesian islands to do earth magnetic measurements. During his stay he collected many ethnographic items, of which the beauty of the pieces were often outstanding.

(Information: provided by Sandra van den Broek, Chief Collections and Presentations of the Wereldmusem Rotterdam)

Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde, Collection Nr. 16/12      Measurements: L 58.5cm, Wdth 4.4cm, Blade L 46cm, Scabbard L 48.5cm

Photo 14

      Provenance: Bought in 1861 of Dr. Salomon Muller’s legacy.

Dr. Salomon Muller made some very early expeditions in East Indies, from 1826 till 1837.

He collected in Java from 1826 till 1828 and again in 1831. 

      Hilt made of dark horn, representing a stylized head with ears, nose and open mouth with two rows of teeth. The eyes are from bone slices; Oval, silver ferrule, protrusive in the front; Plain

blade; Wooden scabbard, entirely wound with rattan strips; Wide red flannel girdle strap, covered with silver brocade. 

(Information: Catalogue of “ ’s Rijks Ethnographisch Museum, JAVA tweede gedeelte.”, by Dr. H.H. Juynboll)

Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde, Collection Nr. 16/13    Measurements: L 59.5cm, Wdth 5cm, Blade L 47.7cm, Scabbard L 49.3cm

Photo 15

      Provenance: Bought in 1861 of Dr. Salomon Muller’s legacy.

Dr. Salomon Muller made some very early expeditions in East Indies, from 1826 till 1837.

He collected in Java from 1826 till 1828 and again in 1831. 

      Hilt and guard of yellow horn, sectional quadrangular, widening from above, and bending to the sharp side; Straight blade ending in a sharp point, with no decorations and no fullers;

Wooden scabbard, widening at the scabbard tip and scabbard mouth, entirely wound with rattan strips; Scabbard mouth made of yellow horn, scabbard tip is missing; Red and yellow cotton girdle strap, with no lanyard.

(Information: Catalogue of “ ’s Rijks Ethnographisch Museum, JAVA tweede gedeelte.”, by Dr. H.H. Juynboll)

Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde, Collection Nr. 285/5      Measurements: L 75.5cm, Wdth. 4.8cm, Blade L 62cm, Scabbard L 64.8cm

Photo 16

      Provenance: Acquisition in 1880.

Origin: “Buitenzorg” (note: from 17 August 1945 called Bogor).

      The hilt of black horn, sectional quadrangular, widening from above, and bending to the sharp side; Straight blade, with two fullers along most of the back, the edge and the back thick from the start, but further sharp and ending in a concave curve to the tip; Wooden scabbard, widening at the scabbard tip and scabbard mouth, entirely wound with sections of yellow and black rattan strips;

Scabbard mouth made of black horn, scabbard tip is missing.

(Information: Catalogue of “ ’s Rijks Ethnographisch Museum, JAVA tweede gedeelte.”, by Dr. H.H. Juynboll)

Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde, Collection Nr. 300/1447      Measurements: L 73.5cm, Wdth 7.3cm, Blade L 61.7cm, Scabbard L 64cm

Photo 17

      Provenance: One of the appr. 1700 items of the Dutch contribution to the World Exhibition in Paris in 1878, which later came into the Leiden collection.

      Origin: “Bantam”.

Yellow/Brown wooden hilt, sectional quadrangular, widening from above, and bending to the sharp side; Blade with sharp point, no decorations of any kind, three fullers;

Wooden scabbard, widening from above at one side, and widening at the scabbard tip at both sides, entirely wound with rattan strips; Red flannel girdle strap,on both sides banded with gold

bullion, with cylindrical lanyard from purple and brown cotton.

(Information: Catalogue of “ ’s Rijks Ethnographisch Museum, JAVA tweede gedeelte.”, by Dr. H.H. Juynboll)

Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde, Collection Nr. 913/70      Measurements: L 63cm, Wdth 4.7cm, Blade L 51cm, Scabbard L 55.4cm

Photo 18

      Provenance: Donation Dr. I. Groneman, 1892.

Origin: “Bandoeng, Preanger regencies”.

      Yellow horn hilt with wooden ferrule; Wave patterned damasked blade, on both sides hollow

ground; With a very sharp edge near the tip at the spine; Wooden scabbard, with wooden scabbard mouth widening at one side, and wooden scabbard tip which is widening at both sides, entirely wound with rattan strips; Silver brocade girdle strap.

(Information: Catalogue of “ ’s Rijks Ethnographisch Museum, JAVA tweede gedeelte.”, by Dr. H.H. Juynboll)

Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde, Collection Nr. 913/71      Measurements: L 66.5cm, Wdth 8cm, Blade L 53.8cm, Scabbard L 56.5cm

Photo 19

      Provenance: Donation Dr. I. Groneman, 1892.

Origin: “Bandoeng, Preanger regencies”.

      Hilt in the shape of a stylized snake head and neck, coated with silver and decorated with scales engravings; Plain hollow ground blade, with two fullers along both sides; Wooden scabbard, with a silver scabbard mouth and a silver scabbard tip; Red flannel girdle strap.

(Information: Catalogue of “ ’s Rijks Ethnographisch Museum, JAVA tweede gedeelte.”, by Dr. H.H. Juynboll)

The four pieces below are named “gobang” according to the Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde database and/or the catalogue of Juynboll, though they are of a completely different type (similar to the one on photo 32 from the Tropenmuseum collection).

Tropenmuseum Amsterdam, Collection Nr. H-275      Measurements: L 73cm

Photo 24

Provenance: Obtained by the Colonial Museum Haarlem in 1875 from first class engineer J.F. Moet, Padang.

Came into the Tropenmuseum collection, 1 January 1926.

Horn hilt and wooden scabbard.

(Information: : provided by Koos van Brakel, Chief Collections of the Tropenmuseum)

Tropenmuseum Amsterdam, Collection Nr. H-276      Measurements: L 71 cm

Photo 25

Provenance: Obtained by the Colonial Museum Haarlem in 1875 from first class engineer J.F. Moet, Padang.

Came into the Tropenmuseum collection, 1 January 1926.

Wooden hilt and wooden scabbard.

(Information: : provided by Koos van Brakel, Chief Collections of the Tropenmuseum)

Tropenmuseum Amsterdam, Collection Nr. H-277      Measurements: L 62 cm

Photo 26

Provenance: Obtained by the Colonial Museum Haarlem in 1875 from first class engineer J.F. Moet, Padang.

Came into the Tropenmuseum collection, 1 January 1926.

Horn hilt and wooden scabbard.

(Information: : provided by Koos van Brakel, Chief Collections of the Tropenmuseum)

Tropenmuseum Amsterdam, Collection Nr. H-296      Measurements: L 64 cm

Photo 27

Provenance: Obtained by the Colonial Museum Haarlem in 1888 from F.Th. Pahud de Montagnes, old Resident, Maarssen.

Came into the Tropenmuseum collection, 1 January 1926.

Wooden hilt and wooden scabbard.

(Information: : provided by Koos van Brakel, Chief Collections of the Tropenmuseum)

Tropenmuseum Amsterdam, Collection Nr. H-300      Measurements: L 77 cm

Photo 28

Provenance: Obtained by the Colonial Museum Haarlem in 1888 from F.Th. Pahud de Montagnes, old Resident, Maarssen.

Came in the Tropenmuseum collection dated 1 January 1926.

Horn hilt and wooden scabbard.

(Information: : provided by Koos van Brakel, Chief Collections of the Tropenmuseum)

Tropenmuseum Amsterdam, Collection Nr. H-307       Measurements: L 59 cm

Photo 29

Provenance: Obtained by the Colonial Museum Haarlem in 1906 from Dr. C. Morgan van der Meer, Haarlem.

Came in the Tropenmuseum collection dated 1 January 1926.

(Information: : provided by Koos van Brakel, Chief Collections of the Tropenmuseum)

Tropenmuseum Amsterdam, Collection Nr. H-309      Measurements: L 73.5 cm

Photo 30

Provenance: Obtained from the Colonial Museum Haarlem on 1 January 1926.

Unknown from where and what date it came into the Colonial Museum Haarlem collection and who owned it before.

This is because the former Colonial Museum number is unknown.

(Information: : provided by Koos van Brakel, Chief Collections of the Tropenmuseum)

Tropenmuseum Amsterdam, Collection Nr. 2160-396a

photo 31

Provenance: Obtained from W.F.C.C. Pijnacker Hordijk, 28 May 1952.

Hilt covered in silver and wooden scabbard.

(Information: : provided by Koos van Brakel, Chief Collections of the Tropenmuseum)

Tropenmuseum Amsterda: Nr. 203-2

Photo 32

The sword depicted above is named “gobang” according the Tropenmuseum database, though it’s a completely different sword, but similar to the four gobangs in the Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde collection (See photo 20-21-22-23)