The 1,700 pieces of world-renowned Chinese ceramics constitute the largest donation in the British Museum’s nearly 300-year history.

Sir Percival David’s collection, amassed in the early 1900s, includes prized vases and wine cups. “You simply couldn’t build up a collection like this today,” one expert said.

The British Museum is to be given Chinese ceramics worth £1bn in what is believed to be the highest-value gift received by a UK museum. The addition of the items from the Sir Percival David Foundation will also make the museum's stock of the antiques one of the most important outside of the Chinese-speaking world.