Like the techniques developed at the end of the 1980s in the field of archaeology, the Musée de la musique, in close collaboration with the major players in these disciplines, is introducing techniques that will significantly improve our understanding of the works in the collection.
Combining materials analysis, botanical and zoological studies, dating techniques and genetic analyses, the archaeometry work carried out by the ECR team sheds new light on the identification, dating and ageing process of works held in the Musée de la musique or in the collections of partner institutions. Current projects in this area aim to document the material history of Cremonese lutherie, European guitars from the 17th and 18th centuries, and non-European instruments, and to cross-interpret data obtained by carbon-14 dating, dendrochronology, DNA extraction and botanical identifications.