It was displayed in a house at 53 Gordon Square and used as a focus for the teaching of Chinese art and culture at SOAS.

In November 2024, it was announced that the collection would be donated to the British Museum by the trustees of the Sir Percival David Foundation.

However, much of the acquisition history of David's collection was unrecorded, but he may have acquired many of the items through various dealers, auctions and other collectors.

The pieces assembled by Percival David form the most important single collection of Chinese ceramics outside of China and Taiwan.

Previous holders of the chair, called the Percival David Professor of Chinese and East Asian Art, include William Watson, Roderick Whitfield and Craig Clunas.

[2] The public gallery is part of the Sir Joseph Hotung Centre for Ceramic Studies, which includes facilities to use the collection for teaching.

Chinese Ceramics: Highlights of the Sir Percival David Collection, by Regina Krahl and Jessica Harrison-Hall, was published in April 2009 by the British Museum Press to coincide with the opening of the new display.

There are no pieces from the earlier periods of Chinese history because David chose not to collect any Chinese earthenware; the development of earthenware is found all around the world, and David's collection aims to give a representative overview of the development of ceramics that is unique to China.

[10] Other notable items in the collection are the David Vases, and a chicken cup for serving wine during the reign of the Ming emperor Chenghua.

[9] At the British Museum, the collection of the 1,700 items starts with the David Vases placed before the main space of Room 95.