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 said on Wednesday it would receive 1,700 pieces of world-renowned Chinese ceramics worth around 1 billion pounds ($1.27 billion), in the largest donation in its nearly 300-year history.

The British Museum is to receive what is believed to be the highest-value gift ever received by a UK museum with the acquisition of £1bn worth of Chinese ceramics. Trustees of the Sir Percival David Foundation,

Admission to the museum is free through Dec. 15 when doors close. The closure comes as another of the country’s largest Jewish museums, the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia, pursues legislation to become part of the Smithsonian network as a strategy to reach financial sustainability.

The Contemporary Jewish Museum, a popular downtown San Francisco civic destination, announced it will be closing for at least a year as it continues to deal with ongoing financial struggles. The closure will go into effect on Dec.

The Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco announced Wednesday that they will close their galleries for at least one year, citing financial difficulties.