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The British Museum has recently received what is believed to be the most valuable gift ever given to a museum in the UK. The £1bn gift, consisting of 1,700 pieces of Chinese ceramics, will be donated by the trustees of the Sir Percival David Foundation. The late British businessman collected the items between Europe, Japan, Hong Kong, and China before passing away in 1964. After a 15-year loan, the items will be donated to the British Museum by the charitable foundation.
The Chinese ceramics have been on loan to the London museum since 2009 and displayed in the specially designed bilingual Room 95. The works have now made history with the British Museum set to become home to one of the most significant collections of Chinese ceramics outside the Chinese-speaking world. The donation takes the total number of Chinese ceramics held by the Museum to 10,000 pieces.
Highlights of the collection include the David vases from 1351, which revolutionised the dating of blue and white ceramics. The foundation’s gift also includes a chicken cup used to serve wine for the Chenghua emperor and Ru wares made for the Northern Song dynasty court around 1086.
The director of the British Museum, Dr Nicholas Cullinan, was quoted as saying that the Sir Percival David Foundation donation was an “incomparable private collection.” Sir Percival David passed away in 1964, but during his lifetime, he wanted the collection to be used to “inform and inspire people”. The chairman of the Sir Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, Colin Sheaf, confirmed that the donation had fulfilled Sir Percival’s three main objectives. He listed these as: preserving the unique collection, ensuring that every single piece was on public display and remained an inspiration and education for future generations.
The final ownership transfer to the British Museum will require the consent of the Charity Commission. Once completed, selected pieces will be lent to the Shanghai Museum in China and the Metropolitan Museum in New York as part of the British Museum’s commitment to supporting exhibitions worldwide.
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