Italy, Spain and Portugal - Expo Paris 1855

The next gallery is divided into two parts: on the right is Tuscany, on the left Spain, whose main products we have already seen on the first floor of the Palace.

In this accessory exhibition, Tuscany offers us on both sides a very fine geological collection, among which the beautiful marbles of the coast that touches Massa-Carrara; on the left, the Royal Institute of Florence has exhibited physical machines, and on the right, right up to the vault, oils, grains and leathers are extended.

On the other side of the annex, i.e. on the left bank, the Spanish exhibition extends. Magnificent samples of the many mines of Spain form an important collection from the point of view of operations. Opposite, on the right, is the ornamental pottery, followed by samples of cast iron, among which the bust of Queen Isabella II, that of the King and that of General O'Donnell stand out. At the foot of these busts is a 32-pounder cannon, cast in Turin, and on the right are beautiful marbles from the Pyrenees and Sierra Leone. The left side is occupied by a splendid collection of woods from the immense forests that cover the slopes of the Pyrenees, displayed with leaves, seeds and fruits. Next come the agricultural products, which extend into the vaulted upper galleries. The oils occupy the boards placed along the wall, and to the side lie the wools of the merino sheep and the royal sheepfolds that cover Spain.

Immediately afterwards, still on the left, we move on to the Portuguese exhibition. Fonts, among which that of Diana will be noted, ropes, cork; a magnificent pottery vase for holding fresh water, called alcarajas; then coals and grains, on the left, form the whole exhibition of this country.

The right-hand side of the gallery is occupied by the Papal States, whose entire exhibition is reduced to superb samples of marble in the rough or worked in the Roman fashion, wood from the forests of the Apennines, coals from Velletri, and reeds occupying the right-hand bank and extending as far as the wall of the Cours-La-Reine.

Some Sardinian products are still there: a safe, a series of industrial models, a mill, and a locomotion system for balloons. Opposite are the agricultural machines from Savoy, still on the right bank; a car from Turin and billiards.

©Promenades dans l'exposition de 1855