British Museum Secures Historic Chinese Ceramics Donation

The British Museum has received a historic donation of 1,700 Chinese ceramics valued at around 1 billion pounds. Donated by the Percival David Foundation, this is the largest gift in the museum's history. The collection includes notable pieces like the 'David vases' and a renowned 'chicken cup'.

The British Museum has announced the receipt of a monumental donation comprising 1,700 pieces of famed Chinese ceramics, collectively valued at approximately 1 billion pounds. This unprecedented gift marks the largest donation in the museum's nearly 300-year history.

The collection, generously contributed by the Percival David Foundation, includes illustrious items such as the blue-and-white 'David vases' from 1351 and the late 15th-century 'chicken cup', a highly coveted artifact in the realm of Chinese art. Additionally, it features 'Ru wares', dating back to the late 11th century. George Osborne, chair of the British Museum, hailed this bequest as a significant endorsement of the museum's future.

In light of this donation, the British Museum's Chinese ceramics collection has become one of the most significant held by any public institution outside the Chinese-speaking world, totaling 10,000 objects. The Museum also plans to loan select pieces to the Shanghai Museum and the Metropolitan Museum in New York. British arts minister Chris Bryant emphasized the collection's role in enlightening future generations. This historic donation underscores porcelain's origins in China around AD 600, marking it as the most advanced globally.

(With inputs from agencies.)