In 2013, a hundred fruit models were discovered at the country house owned by the Salvador family, apothecaries who kept for six generations a cabinet of curiosities in Barcelona. José Salvador y Soler (1804-1855), the last of the saga, produced about five hundred pieces in various materials as samples for POMONA ESPAÑOLA, a project which would be composed of the descriptions, plates and models of all the fruits that were grown in Spain. Until the discovery of the models, the project was only known for being mentioned in some private documents that are preserved in the Botanical Institute of Barcelona and in some guides to Barcelona. Now, after a careful restoration, the pieces have become part of the collections of the Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona. Although produced in different contexts and periods, these collections shared an educational purpose and highlight the significance of fruit cultivation and the agronomic education in 19th century.

References:
- José Pardo-Tomás (2014): Salvadoriana. El gabinete de curiosidades de Barcelona, Barcelona, Ajuntament.
- Marta Pérez, Olga Muñoz, Eulàlia Garcia-Franquesa (2016): Conservación-restauración de modelos botánicos de frutas del Gabinete Salvador, in: Ge-conservación 9, 83-95.
- Xavier Ulled Bertran (2024): Entre la curiosidad y la utilidad. Colecciones y públicos en la Barcelona de José Salvador y Soler, Rosario, prohistoria Ediciones.

In 2013, a hundred fruit models were discovered at the country house owned by the Salvador family, apothecaries who kept for six generations a cabinet of curiosities in Barcelona. José Salvador y Soler (1804-1855), the last of the saga, produced about five hundred pieces in various materials as samples for POMONA ESPAÑOLA, a project which would be composed of the descriptions, plates and models of all the fruits that were grown in Spain.

Cabinet of Curiosities

pomona, fruit models, cabinet of curiosities, Salvador, Barcelona

Salvador Collection, Barcelona, Spain

Project: SciCoMove - Scientific Collections on the Move: Provincial Museums, Archives and Collecting Practices (1800-1950).
Funding: This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 101007579.
The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the SciCoMove consortium and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Union.

„The cabinet of curiosities of Barcelona. Permanent exhibition,” SciCoMove, zuletzt aufgerufen am 11. Mai 2025, https://ausstellungen.deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de/scicomove/items/show/43.