The Percival David Foundation houses the finest collection of Chinese ceramics outside China and a library of East Asian and Western books relating to Chinese art and culture. Both were presented to the University of London in 1950 by the late Sir Percival David.

There are approximately 1,700 items of Chinese ceramics in the Foundation, reflecting Chinese court taste and dating mainly to the period 10th – 18th century.

Many of these pieces are not only of exceptional beauty, but bear important inscriptions. A number of them have previously been in the possession of Chinese emperors, and inscriptions applied on the orders of the emperor Qianlong (1736 – 95) appear on several of the pieces. Others, which were inscribed with dates and names at the time they were made, are historical documents of immense value.

The Foundation has an exceptional collection of stonewares from the Song (960 – 1279) and Yuan (1279 –1368) dynasties, including examples of the very rare Ru and Guan wares. Among the justly famous blue and white porcelains are two unique temple vases with inscriptions dating them to AD 1351 and a fine range of wares from the 15th century onwards.

A wide variety of polychrome wares are also well represented, and thse include examples of the delicate doucai wares from the Chengua period (1465 -87) as well as remarkable group of the exquisite 18th century porcelains traditionally known as Gu yue xuan.

In 1952, the year the Foundation opened, a gift of fine monochrome porcelains, most of them datable to the 18th century, was made by the late Hon. Mountstuart Elphinstone.

View the Percival David Collection online