2 Qing Dynasty Porcelain Artifacts Damaged at British Museum After Bowl Falls From Display Shelf

Caption: A photo on social media shows porcelain fragments on the bottom shelf of the display case at the British Museum.

Two Qing Dynasty porcelain artifacts were damaged at the British Museum after a blue-and-white bowl fell from a display shelf and struck another object below, the museum has confirmed.

The incident happened on October 4 in the Sir Percival David Collection gallery, according to a museum spokesperson quoted by Red Star News. The damaged objects were a Kangxi-period bowl and a small porcelain box.

The museum said the bowl fell from its shelf and hit a lower shelf. It said there were no visible signs of failure in either the shelf or its fittings, and that an investigation was continuing into how the accident occurred.

Both objects have been transferred to the museum’s conservation team for full restoration.

The damaged bowl is a blue-and-white porcelain piece from the Emperor Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty. According to the British Museum’s collection records, it is an imitation of a 15th-century Ming Dynasty bowl and depicts women in a garden engaged in activities such as viewing paintings, playing music, playing board games and reading. The bowl is 8 centimeters high and 21.6 centimeters in diameter.

The second object is a circular blue-and-white porcelain box decorated with fruiting branches. The British Museum identifies it as a Kangxi-period piece made in Jingdezhen. Both objects previously belonged to Sir Percival David and are now listed by the museum as not on display.

Caption: A handwritten note is placed on the spot where the porcelain piece was originally displayed, saying it was transferred to restoration.

Bilan, a Chinese guide who regularly works at the museum, said she noticed the gallery had unexpectedly closed on the afternoon of October 4. It reopened the following day.

Photos later circulated on Chinese social media showing porcelain fragments on the bottom shelf of the display case and an empty mount above.

When the guide returned to inspect the case on October 8, she said she found a sizeable gap between the display shelf and the front glass. Photos she provided showed handwritten notices placed where the two objects had been displayed, stating that they had been removed for conservation.

The Sir Percival David Collection contains about 1,700 pieces of Chinese ceramics dating from the third to the 20th centuries and is regarded as one of the most important collections of Chinese ceramics outside China.

The British Museum has not yet said what caused the bowl to fall.