Project Conservation Project Leh Old Town Conservation Project, Ladakh, Indian Himalayas by André Alexander and Andreas Catanese Tibet Heritage Fund (THF) Ladakh is a semi-autonomous region in the Indian Himalayas. For centuries an important crossroads of Central Asian caravan trade, Ladakh’s culture, language and religion have mainly come from Tibet. Ladakh’s capital, Leh, preserves ­­­monuments from the 15th and 16th centuries, but was extended to become the permanent royal capital only in the early 17th century.

Articles Conservation of Paintings Choosing Varnishes. In between the concept and the reality falls the practicing conservator… by Christabel Blackman   This article explains the importance of the step between new technological advances and their incorporation in the conservator’s studio. Sharing information is vital between hands-on conservators and investigators. It particularly concentrates on varnishes and how new available materials have proved to be useful. After their application in many different paintings, certain reflections have been made and conclusions have been drawn about their usefulness for conservators.

Articles Care of Collections Creating Enclosures Using Microsoft Excel by Shelagh Linklater   A template was developed in Microsoft Excel to help create custom-made enclosures for artifacts and records. The program streamlines and clarifies the process of making boxes and folders. Measurements input by the user produce a diagram with specific dimensions, cutting and fold lines. Instructions, tools and materials are included with hyperlinks to suppliers’ websites. Although originally developed as a teaching tool for non-conservators, it is very flexible and can be augmented to suit particular needs. This can be used to produce containers for individual records or as a planning tool for larger re-housing projects.

Case Study The Church of Sucevica Monastery The Conservation of Mural Paintings by Anca Dina   In the north-east side of Romania, on the Suceava plateau, the Church of Sucevica Monastery has been for more than four centuries a testimony of Christian beliefs, aesthetic sense and love for beauty. Founded by the powerful Movil family, the Sucevica ensemble had been conceived as a place of prayer and a royal court, gathering in the same location buildings with different functions: the church, the royal house, watching towers, cells and household annexes, the steeple, high and massive walls for protection with crenels and abutments.

Education Conservation Education in Belgium e-conservationline   This permanent section is dedicated to Education and Training in Conservation and Restoration, which we consider an essential and actual issue in our profession. Thus, in each number of the magazine we randomly pick a country from around the world, review and describe its training in conservation to the best of our knowledge.