Page 198 - A Re-examination of Late Qing Dynasty Porcelain, 1850-1920 THESIS

collector. Each collection placed importance on the imperial production process that

required only the best porcelain to leave Jingdezhen. By identifying these wares,

collectors were able to amass an imperial-caliber collection outside of the Forbidden

City. The most prominent of these collections is the Sir Percival David Collection

housed within the British Museum. Born on July 21, 1892, in Bombay, India, Percival

Victor David Ezekiel David became an avid connoisseur of Chinese porcelain. 252 Sir

Percival joined his father’s business, Sassoon J. David and Co. Ltd., which worked in

banking, textiles, and opium. 253 He first visited China for business in 1924, which began

a lifelong passion for collecting porcelain. 254 Few records from Sir Percival survive

detailing how and why he collected the porcelain that ultimately comprised his

collection. 255 Unlike other collectors of the era, Sir Percival combined his personal

aesthetic tastes with a thorough scholarly understanding. Sir Percival studied Chinese

porcelain, amassing a large and thorough library on the subject. He also studied Chinese

language and developed numerous contacts in China. This academic background in

Chinese art history allowed Sir Percival to create a collection of porcelain that aligned

with the styles of the imperial collection within the Forbidden City. Evidence of this

commitment can be found in Sir Percival’s published articles. The first article, written in

1929, discusses the identification of Yue wares. Over his lifetime, Sir Percival published

252 S. H. Hansford, “Obituary: Sir Percival David,” Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African
Studies, University of London 28, no. 2 (1965): 472–75.
253 Jessica Harrison-Hall, “Whose Line Is It Anyway? Marks and Inscriptions on Chinese
Ceramics in the Sir Percival David Collection,” Orientations 40, no. 8 (2009): 63.
254 Anthony Lin Hua-Tien, “An Interview with Lady David,” Orientations 23, no. 4 (1992): 56.
255 For an examination of the full collection see Hobson, R. L. Catalogue of Chinese Pottery and
Porcelain in the Collection of Sir Percival David. London: The Stourton Press, 1934.

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