An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump

An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump is an oil on canvas painting completed in 1768 by the English artist Joseph Wright of Derby, now held by the National Gallery in London. It shows a traveling natural philosopher demonstrating one of Robert Boyle's air pump experiments to a small household audience, with a cockatiel trapped inside the glass vessel as the air is withdrawn from it. The onlookers react in different ways, from calm scientific curiosity to visible distress, particularly in two young girls, while the demonstrator looks directly out at the viewer as though inviting a judgment on whether the experiment should continue. The painting is noted for treating a scientific demonstration with the dramatic gravity earlier reserved for historical or religious subjects. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/