The European Goldfinch is a wild bird which from early times has been admired, captured and caged for its beauty. That was also true of Amsterdam and Delft in 1654 when Carel Fabritius, a pupil of Rembrant, known for his experimentation with perspective and light, made his now famous painting 'The Goldfinch'. Today in the UK the wild Goldfinch can still be seen in captivity in small backyard aviaries or as dead specimens represented in Natural History Museums.