British Museum given record £1bn collection of Chinese ceramics

The British Museum has been given a private collection of Chinese ceramics worth about £1bn, the highest value object donation in UK museum history.

- Nadia Khomami

The 1,700 pieces, dating from the third to the 20th century, have been given permanently by the trustees of the Sir Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art. They had been on loan to the museum since 2009.

It means the British Museum will now hold one of the most important collections of Chinese ceramics of any public institution outside the Chinese-speaking world, with about 10,000 items in total.

George Osborne, the chair of the British Museum, said he was thrilled by the "blockbuster decision".

"This is the largest bequest to the British Museum in our long history. It's a real vote of confidence in our future, and comes at a highly significant moment for us - as we embark on the most significant cultural redevelopment of the museum it has ever undertaken," Osborne said.