A Renaissance Cabinet Rediscovered

A cabinet J. Paul Getty acquired in 1971 was for many years believed to be a fake made in the 1800s. Through scientific, visual, and archival analysis, scholars at the Getty proved that the cabinet is an original piece of Renaissance furniture made in 1580 in Burgundy, France.

Narrated by Getty conservator Arlen Heginbotham, this video explores key scientific methods used to examine the cabinet. Tree-ring dating was used to determine the authenticity of the cabinet's wood and several different scientific instruments were used to analyze a fragment of a metal tack found in the cabinet.

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