Page 199 - A Re-examination of Late Qing Dynasty Porcelain, 1850-1920 THESIS

numerous academic articles primarily found within the Transactions of the Oriental

Ceramic Society.

It was the combination of these efforts that added to Sir Percival’s ability to

collect not only on a massive scale, but also with a keen eye. Compared to other

collectors of this generation, Sir Percival amassed a collection of porcelain in the manner

of a true Chinese connoisseur, not falling into trends often apparent in the collections of

other Western collectors, who purchased exclusively export wares or focused on

obtaining large quantities. When Sir Percival first began collecting in the 1920s, it was

extremely difficult to procure imperial-quality Chinese porcelain within England. 256 The

major galleries selling Chinese porcelain at the time were Sparks, Bluett, and Spink. 257

As previously explored, porcelain could easily be purchased in England. Purchased

porcelain was not always of a high imperial quality, export wares comprised the majority

and were of varying caliber. Since so little was published on Chinese porcelain, Sir

Percival relied on his own knowledge of the subject along with the authenticity provided

by purchasing wares with reign marks or inscriptions. Maintaining this standard at such

th
an early point in 20 -century collecting made Sir Percival’s collection well-regarded by
the scholarly community. Experts like Robert L. Hobson (1872–1941) wrote early

catalogs and reviews of Sir Percival’s collection. 258 The first catalog in 1934 outlines the

fine imperial quality of the collection, which is still the accepted opinion of art historians.

256 Harrison-Hall, “Whose Line Is It Anyway? Marks and Inscriptions on Chinese Ceramics in the
Sir Percival David Collection,” 63.
257 Hua-Tien, “An Interview with Lady David,” 57. For further information see the archive of
Bluett and Sons at, https://archive.asia.si.edu/collections/downloads/Bluett-and-Sons.pdf.
258 Regina Krahl, “Surprises, Discoveries and Puzzles: Reviewing the Sir Percival David
Collection,” Orientations 40, no. 8 (2009): 54.

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