Statue of Sir Frank Athelstane Swettenham

A bronze statue of Sir Frank Athelstane Swettenham GCMG CH (28 March 1850 – 11 June 1946) stands in the courtyard of the National Museum, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Statue of Sir Frank Athelstane Swettenham
ArtistCharles Leonard Hartwell RA
Year1921
MediumBronze sculpture
SubjectSir Frank Athelstane Swettenham
LocationNational Museum of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur

History

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Frank Swettenham was a British colonial administrator, Governor of the Straits Settlements and High Commissioner for the Federated Malay States.[1] The statue was funded by friends and acquaintances, and was created by English sculptor, Charles Leonard Hartwell RA, whose name is inscribed on the base.[2]

Unveiling

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The statue was erected adjacent to the State Secretariat Building, Kuala Lumpur, facing the Gombak river, and was officially unveiled on 19 January 1921 by Sir Laurence Guillemard, Governor of the Straits Settlements and High Commissioner of the Federated Malay States.[2][3][4] During the Japanese occupation of Malaya it was removed from its plinth and was returned on 15 October 1946. In 1964 the statue was moved into the grounds of the National Museum, Kuala Lumpur.[5]

References

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  1. ^ Arnold Wright, H. A. Cartwright (1908). Twentieth Century Impressions of British Malaya: Its History, People, Commerce, Industries, and Resources. Lloyd's Greater Britain publishing Company, limited. p. 191.
  2. ^ a b Lim, Eric (25 February 2020). "Two Colonial Monuments and a Malay Fort". museumvolunteersjmm.
  3. ^ ""Let Us Now Praise Famous Men."". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884-1942). 22 January 1921. p. 6.
  4. ^ "Swettenham Statue". Malaya Tribune. 22 January 1921. p. 4.
  5. ^ "SIR FRANK ATHELSTANE SWETTENHAM". Muzium Negara, Department of Museums Malaysia.

3°08′17″N 101°41′14″E / 3.137974°N 101.687119°E / 3.137974; 101.687119