Donated famous private collection of Chinese ceramics valued at £1 billion to British Museum

The Sir Percival David Foundation has donated its world-famous private collection of Chinese ceramics to the British Museum in London. This is the highest value object donation in the history of UK museums, with 1,700 pieces valued at about £1 billion.

Sir Percival David (1892-1964) was a visionary British businessman whose passion for China inspired him to study the language at a very high level. During his lifetime he collected ceramics in Europe, Japan, Hong Kong and China, resulting in one of the finest private collections of Chinese ceramics. Sir Percival wished to make it visible to the public in its entirety. Since 2009, the collection has been on loan to the British Museum. Its bilingual online catalog is accessible to users around the world. Thanks to this donation, the British Museum holds one of the most important collections of Chinese ceramics of any public institution outside the Chinese-speaking world, numbering 10,000 objects.

“I am honored by the generosity of the trustees of the Sir Percival David Foundation who have entrusted their incomparable private collection to the British Museum on a permanent basis. These objects add a special dimension to our collection and together offer scholars, researchers and visitors from around the world an incredible opportunity to study and enjoy the finest examples of Chinese craftsmanship in existence,” said Nicholas Cullinan, director of the British Museum.

“It has been exactly 100 years since Sir Percival David made his first visit to China,” said Sir Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art and Sir Percival David Foundation Academic and Research Fund President Colin Sheaf. “His maiden voyage generated a great love for Chinese art and culture, particularly the imperial porcelain made for the Emperor and his Court, which inspired him to put together an unparalleled private collection. It is entirely appropriate then that, on this centenary, the Trustees of his Foundation have chosen the British Museum as the most suitable venue to permanently house his Collection, where it has already been on loan for fifteen years attracting millions of visitors each year.” “In every respect,” he continues, “this gift secures the three goals that Sir Percival was most concerned about for the future of his collection: to preserve its uniqueness intact; to keep together forever every single piece on public display in a dedicated gallery; and to ensure that the collection would remain not only a visual spectacle of incomparable beauty, but also a source of inspiration and education for future generations of academics, students, and non-specialists drawn to the imperial arts of Asia’s greatest and most enduring civilization.”

Pictured: Nicholas Cullinan, director of the British Museum, and Colin Sheaf, president of the Sir Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art.

Donated famous private collection of Chinese ceramics valued at £1 billion to British Museum

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