Demonstration apparatus

This hydrostatic demonstration apparatus was made around 1830, probably by Nicholas Constant Pixii (1776-1861), a scientific instrument maker based in Paris. Pixii was in partnership with his son Antoine Hippolyte (1808-1835).

The apparatus shows how water can be raised by suction (suction pump) and by pressure (force pump). It is made of wood, brass and glass, with a lead-lined trough beneath into which the water eventually flows, being circulated again by the pump on the left, activated by the long handle. On a brass plate on the pillar supporting the curved iron handle is the inscription 'Pixii, Pere et Fils / Rue de Grenelle St Germain 18/ (A PARIS)'.

Nicholas Constant Pixii succeeded the Dumotiec Brothers in business in Paris in around 1815. This ingenious device would keep audiences fascinated as water flowed through each section, demonstrating various hydrostatic properties.

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