Sussex Heritage: Collection reflects a lifetime of learning, knowledge and understanding

This week I am in the company of Toovey’s Director and Asian Art specialist Tom Rowsell. Tom says “Alain was 13 and living in Canada when he first started learning about Buddhism. He would spend a lifetime studying the mystical and ritualistic aspects of Tibetan traditions. From the early 1970s Alain would return again and again to Tibet gaining rare access to remote lamaseries and locations across the Himalayas. Despite not speaking the local dialects his unique and layered understanding of Tibetan spiritual and social practices grew.

Alain’s adventures and extensive research helped him to cultivate a deeper appreciation and broader understanding of Tibetan art and culture in the West. He is a respected academic and a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society.

Beyond his academic contributions, Alain also introduced many to the mesmerising sounds of Tibetan singing bowls; his album, The Singing Bowls of Tibet, has sold over a million copies and has over eighteen thousand monthly listeners on Spotify.

Alain brought together his significant collection of Tibetan art and ritual objects over almost 60 years of researching. His wife Sheila shared his passion and supported the collection’s growth over their lifetime together.”

I ask Tom about the Tibetan gilt bronze rectangular repoussé plaque from the Alain Presencer Collection of Buddhist Art which sold at Toovey’s for £15,000. He replies “It’s quite large, about 79cm across, and dates from the 15th century. It depicts the bodhisattva Vajrapani standing on a prostrate figure within a surround of scrolling flames. Vajrapani is flanked by six attendants. In his right hand he holds a Vajra, a ritual implement representing indestructibility and irresistible force whilst embodying the union of wisdom and compassion. In Buddhistic iconography Vajrapani protects and manifests the Buddha’s power.”

Tom concludes “Over the years, I have had the privilege of getting to know Alain and Sheila, and I am deeply grateful for the stories and knowledge he has shared with me. His passion for Tibetan culture and Buddhist art is truly inspiring, and his insights have enriched my own career in countless ways. There have been so many highlights from the two part sale of Alain Presencer Collection of Buddhist Art. It is extraordinary how closely Alain’s collection reflected his lifetime of learning, knowledge and understanding.”

Rupert Toovey is a senior director of Toovey’s, the leading fine art auction house in West Sussex, based on the A24 at Washington - www.tooveys.com- and a priest in the Church of England Diocese of Chichester.