Joseph Wright of Derby: An Experiment on a Bird in an Air Pump (1768)

(National Gallery, London, UK)

A painting by the British artist Joseph Wright (1734-1797). The paintings shows a scientist in the middle of an experiment with a group of people who are watching. The scientist is using a so-called 'air pump' of Robert Boyle to create a vacuum in the glass sphere. The test subject is a cockatoo which is deprived of air - demonstrating that the bird can't fly without air and the reliance of living creatures on air for their survival. Two children are upset about the fate of the bird while the other onlookers show a various scientific curiosity. Painting from 1768.