It was made in 1839 by Bentvelt and supplied by Bonebakker. It was ordered by Baron de Waldkirch.
Bentvelt made a few more similar swords for the Dutch royal family, including one in gold. He also made the Dutch royal crown.
Baron de Waldkirch was the aide of Prince Frederik, the brother of King Willem. In this role, he participated in many historic military events such as the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 and the Belgian Revolution around 1831. It is possible that he ordered this sword for Prince Frederik, but it is also very possible that it was for himself. I've seen a picture from 1865 of another aide from the royal court carrying a similar sword.
I know it was ordered by him because the records of Bonebakker are still available, and the order is listed there.
The mounts and fittings are silver and gilded which has now mostly disappeared. The grip is ivory and in Indonesian style. The sheath is covered in shagreen. The blade itself is Damascus steel. The origin of the blade is still a bit of a mystery because it is older than 1839. Also, in Bonebakker's archive, it says something like (translated): "mounted a blade in silver."
Other orders in the books show the purchase of a blade as well as one of the source materials. This makes me believe the blade was already owned by the person who had the sword made and it had some value to him. Perhaps it was a blade that was a spoil of war or one he carried throughout his entire military career and, in the autumn of his career, it was remounted to fit his current status. Both the blade and the sword are quite large, especially for the period of 1839. One picture shows this sword next to a typical officer's sword from that period. The blade for sure is a battle blade not a uniform blade.
If you have any questions or comments, I'd love to hear them.
