The principal objective of research being carried out in the field of conservation and restoration is to gain a deeper knowledge of each and every work of art that makes up the Museum Collections, something which, in turn, also permits a greater approximation to the work's author.

Starting with the documentary research of a piece of art and by applying different analysis techniques and scientific methods, it is possible to obtain very precise information indeed about the physical history and techniques applied to any work of art.

As far as those different analysis techniques used are concerned, special emphasis must be placed on studies using different types of lighting, such as ultraviolet light, which offers information about the superficial elements of any work of art, particularly concerning varnishes and non-original retouching. Infra-red reflectography allows researchers to access the deepest layers of paint and lets them see the underdrawing in paintings and works of art on paper. Radiography provides information about the structural and constructive aspects of a work of art at all levels, from the layers of paint to the actual support itself. Stratigraphic studies provide very precise information about the different layers of paint that make up a painting and the way they are applied. Consequently, they also tell us how the artist worked. This system is frequently associated with different techniques of chemical analysis that tell us of the exact nature of the pigments, fillers and inert materials, agglutinatives and varnishes. It is equally possible to identify the material used as canvas, the kind of wood used as a support and the materials of which sculptures are made.

All this information that frequently requires the interdisciplinary collaboration of different specialists is compiled and then contrasted with scientific criteria in the Conservation and Restoration Department, resulting in it then being possible to study the state of conservation of a given work of art that is being studied, diagnosing possible pathologies and determining the most appropriate treatments. At the other extreme, however, we can additionally delve deeper into the specific way of working of the piece's author and ponder the stylistic and conceptual aspects of his, or her, work. These techniques and work methodologies provide sources of tremendously rich information that allow us to elaborate on the dating of a work of art in a period of history and even in the trajectory of an artist. In short, they are indispensable for elaborating any study or intervention to which any object of cultural interest is subjected.