A selection of the major pieces in this collection has been chosen for an attractive, educational and didactic presentation. Tools, objets d'art and fossil men are displayed by site and by period, so that visitors can grasp the fundamental landmarks of history.
The museum's medieval collections appeared very early on in its inventories. Exhibited in the cloister, for the architectural elements - built for this purpose by the 19th-century architect - and in the right wing, the works are presented chronologically. For each room, colored backgrounds recall the century to which it refers: blue for the 16thth centuries, yellow to evoke the golds of the 18th century, green in reference to the empire green of the 19th century, and light gray for the 19thth century room to approximate the white so characteristic of late 20th-century displays.
These collections have been built up through purchases by the town, donations from numerous collectors in the region, and loans and gifts from the French government.
They provide fundamental milestones in the fields of painting, sculpture, furniture and objets d'art This collection, comprising over 2, pieces, is now considered the 7th largest in France.
Initially acquired to be compared with objects excavated from prehistoric sites and displayed alongside celles, since the s they have been exhibited to evoke the cultures to which they belong. Within these cultures, objects play a fundamental spiritual and social role: intermediaries between the visible and invisible worlds, embodying the spirit of ancestors and magical powers, they translate and reveal some of the founding myths of these civilizations.
