In the Middle Ages, the choice of materials and the techniques used to work them was never left up to chance. They are inextricably linked with the message and effect of the works of art.

It is interesting to find out the answers not only to questions pertaining to their religious significance or aesthetic form, but also to questions about their materials or the techniques used in creating them: How were the works of art made and using which materials? What did they look like originally? For which purpose and location were they created and what happened to them over the course of the centuries? A glance on and beneath their surface yields important clues. To this end, they are literally placed “under the magnifying glass” and also examined using state-of-the-art scientific methods.

The exhibition takes visitors along on an exciting hunt for clues based on the museum’s exhibits. Twelve stations have been set up at which visitors can learn about the different approaches used in research into materiality.