Created as a result of the merger of two of Abbeville’s 19th century institutions (the Musée d'Abbeville et du Ponthieu and the former Musée Boucher-de-Perthes), the collections reflect the encyclopaedic spirit of the day and cover numerous fields: archaeology, history, painting and sculpture from the 15th to 19th century, with works of art from Scandinavia as well as from all over France including Picardy with works such as the remarkable Retable de la Vie de la Vierge.