Leeds, England/leeds364
Previous | Home | NextThis statue of Priestley is by (Edward) Alfred Drury (1856-1944), also known for his sculpture at the entrance of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. In this portrayal, Priestley is holding a magnifying glass to heat mercuric oxide to produce "dephlogisticated air" (oxygen). Priestley actually used a larger table model of a glass to heat mercuric oxide in a vial {LINK: Calne}, rather than a hand-held glass to heat material in a crucible as portrayed here: if he produced oxygen in this manner, he could not collect it and study its properties.
