Dr. Stacey Pierson will speak on Wednesday at the UF Smathers Library on the life of Sir Percival David and his impact in Mumbai.
The free event will take place at 5:30 p.m. at Judaica Suite, Smathers Library (1508 Union Rd., 2nd Fl.) in Gainesville. Click here to reserve a spot.
Pierson, a professor of the History of Chinese Ceramics at SOAS, University of London, will speak about the life of David, a Baghdadi Jewish philanthropist and collector with a passion for Chinese ceramics, whose legacy connects Mumbai to the halls of the British Museum.
David’s interest in Chinese ceramics made him one of the 20th century’s most important collectors and his story weaves together Jewish heritage, Mumbai society, and world-renowned porcelain.
In addition to teaching and supervising research students in the School of Arts, Pierson is the former president of the Oriental Ceramic Society (London) and is series editor for the Routledge title Histories of Material Culture and Collecting, 1550-1950. From 1995 – 2007, she was Curator of the Percival David Foundation of Chinese art, also at the University of London, which housed the world-renowned David collection of Chinese ceramics.
The event is sponsored by the UF Bud Shorstein Center for Jewish Studies.