Metals

The Bayerisches Nationalmuseum holds an extensive collection of objects made of precious and non-precious metals, from magnificent silver plates from the Late Antiquity to iron grilles from the art nouveau period. Despite their supposed durability and stability, metals are subject to a variety of ageing and corrosion processes, the most notorious being the tarnishing of silver. These processes can be slowed down by taking appropriate preventive measures. Investigations in art technology, such as alloy analysis, also provide important indicators for dating a piece.