The Collection of 1,700 pieces is the highest-value donation ever to the British Museum.
The British Museum has been gifted a collection of 1,700 Chinese ceramic pieces valued at £1 billion from the trustees of the Sir Percival David Foundation.
It is the most valuable gift to a museum in British history.
The final transfer of the ownership of the items requires approval from the Charity Commission.
The donation means the British Museum now holds one of the most important collections of Chinese ceramics outside of the Chinese-speaking world. Their full collection totals approximately 10,000 items.
Amongst the 1,700 items just donated to the museum are a variety of rare and ancient ceramics.
It includes the “David vases” from 1351. They revolutionised how blue and white ceramics were dated. Also present is a “chicken cup” used to serve wine for the Chenghua emperor in the 15th century.
After the donation, pieces are set to be lent to the Shanghai Museum in China. As well as the Metropolitan Museum in New York.
The collection was the life’s work of Indian-born British businessman Sir Percival David (1892 to 1964).
Since his death the collection has been managed by trustees of the Sir Percival David Foundation. In line with his wishes to educate and inspire on Chinese art, the collection has been on loan to the British museum since 2009. Before that it had been displayed at various locations across London.
David was born in Bombay, India to a Middle-Eastern Jewish family. David himself had unsurprisingly close ties with China.
His father was Sir Sassoon David. Their Sassoon family left a major mark on China, particular Shanghai. They transferred much of their wealth to the country during the 1920s and 30s building the Cathay Hotel (now Peace Hotel) on The Bund in Shanghai.
He also organised, alongside the Chinese government, the 1935 exhibition of artifacts from the Forbidden City in London.
Later, on the outbreak of war, he was in Shanghai and interned by the Japanese.
Colin Sheaf, the chair of the Sir Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, said: “It’s exactly 100 years since Sir Percival David made his first visit to China. His inaugural trip engendered a lifelong love of its art and culture, especially the imperial porcelains made for the use of the emperor and his court, which inspired him to assemble his unparalleled private collection.
“It’s entirely fitting therefore that, in this centenary year, the trustees of his foundation should resolve that the most suitable permanent home for his collection is the British Museum, where – on loan for 15 years – it has attracted millions of visitors every year, accomplishing all the charitable purposes of the foundation.”
In recent years, China has been one of the many countries calling for repatriation of artifacts from the British Museum.
Calls were intensified last year. In August 2023 one of the institution’s own curators had stolen over 1,500 objects from the museum. That same month, the government-ran English language tabloid Global Times published an editorial on the topic. It was titled “British Museum must return Chinese cultural relics for free”.
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