Probably the crown the jewel in the Sarawak Museum Collection is the Santubong Buddha found in the Bukit Maras part of Santubong area 1955. The 26 cm figure belongs to the Late Gupta (Sarnath School) classification of Buddhas where the robe is open, the right hand is down and the left hand is up. The lower part of the body (hanchement) is pronounced.
The carving is of the round type while the backing has been smoothed and not left blank. The hands, head and feet have been broken off. Still, the author has decided that the missing features as the right hand held downwards “bestowing favors”and the left hand grasping the corner of the robe at shoulder level. The robe is in the open mode.
The robe falls freely from the body and a few folds can be seen. This signifies the “divine radience shines through”. One can see the upper waistcloth which is worn under the robe and the contour of the limbs. The Kedah bronze is comparable in style and is also of the Late Gupta (Sarnath School) stage.
The Buddha is considered to have been carved by a craftsman and is a competent piece of work.The author is unsure on where the image was created, in India or Southeast Asia. The age of the piece cannot be older than the 6th century when the Late Gupta (Sarnath School) period came into being. The British Museum has dated the piece to the 8th-9th century.
In a note at the end of the article, Tom Harisson states the Santubong Buddha is older than the author states and was made locally. One must be very careful of Tom Harrisons pronouncements.
From: The Santubong Buddha and Its Context by A.B. Griswold in the Sarawak Museum Journal July-December 1962
The search for other articles on the Santubong Buddha has been fruitless. All references lead back to this one. There is an article by Tom Harrison in the Sarawak Museum Journal VI, 1955 p. 511-517 that tells the history of the discovery but the Sarawak Museum Library has been closed and will be closed for the next two years. I searched the Internet but to no avail. Does somebody have a copy of it?
