5 - A Bronze Hoard from Muara Kaman, Kutei

Summary

I. INTRODUCTION

In presenting my paper on the hoard of scrap bronze from Kutei at the conference on Buddhist Dynamics in Pre-modern Southeast Asia at ISEAS in Singapore in 2011, my intention was simply to make known the existence of the remnants of these mostly badly corroded and broken images. Although I was aware that these remains could be of some considerable art historical and archaeological significance, I did not feel that I had sufficient command of the subject of mediaeval bronze imagery to discuss the stylistic affinities or the dating of such materials in detail or to do more than introduce them to those who might have an interest in such artefacts. I am most grateful, therefore, to all those who have encouraged me to delve further into the subject of Buddhist bronze imagery and for the advice that I have been afforded. Any errors that remain in this essay are, of course, my own.

The hoard of bronze scrap was reputedly recovered at Muara Kaman, Kutei subdistrict, now in Kutei Kartanegara Regency, East Kalimantan province of Indonesia at some time during the late 1980s or early 1990s. During a visit to Samarinda, the provincial capital in 1994, I was kindly allowed to examine and to photograph some twenty-three objects then in the possession of an antique dealer, Haji Mohammad Bakri Udin. Whether or not these items are still to be seen in Samarinda at present time, or whether they had formed part of a larger hoard of Buddhist bronzes said to have been recovered from the Kutei area about the same time, or were found separately I do not know. The various fragments, although not seen in situ at the time of their recovery do, however, appear to be of sufficient importance to warrant a record being made of their existence.

I have also added notes on other bronze Buddhist images reputedly found in the Kutei area, including the magnificent bronze from Kuta Bangun, unfortunately damaged in a fire at the Colonial Exhibition in Paris in 1931; a small metal Buddha fragment from Sanggata further north on the coast of East Kalimantan and also the major bronze Buddha from Si Kendeng on the Karama river in neighbouring western Sulawesi (Celebes) to try to provide a broader setting for the finds.