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General observations (Wikipedia)
Secondo Pia's negative of the image on the Shroud of Turin has an appearance suggesting a positive image.The shroud is rectangular, measuring approximately 4.4 x 1.1 m (14.4 x 3.6 ft). The cloth is woven in a herringbone twill and is composed of flax fibrils entwined with cotton fibrils. It bears the image of a front and dorsal view of a naked man with his hands folded across his groin. The two views are aligned along the midplane of the body and pointing in opposite directions. The front and back views of the head nearly meet at the middle of the cloth. The views are consistent with an orthographic projection of a human body, but see Analysis of artistic style
The "Man of the Shroud" has a beard, moustache, and shoulder-length hair parted in the middle. He is well-proportioned and muscular, and quite tall (1.75 m or roughly 5 ft 9 in) for a man of the first century (the time of Jesus' death) or for the Middle Ages (the time of the first uncontested report of the shroud's existence, and the proposed time of possible forgery). Dark red stains, either blood or a substance meant to be perceived as blood, are found on the cloth, showing various wounds: at least one wrist bears a large round wound, apparently from piercing (The second wrist is hidden by the folding of the hands)in the side, again apparently from piercing small wounds around the forehead scores of linear wounds on the torso and legs, apparently from scourging. On May 28, 1898 an amateur Italian photographer, Secondo Pia, took the first photograph of the shroud and was startled by the resulting negative image. The negative seemed to give the appearance of a positive image, which implies that the shroud image (which is primarily brownish-yellow on off-white) is itself effectively a negative of some kind. Observers often feel that the detail and heft of the man on the shroud is greatly enhanced in the photographic negative, producing an unexpected effect. Pia's negative intensified interest in the shroud and sparked renewed efforts to determine its origin.
See: What do we mean when we say the images on the Shroud of Turin are negative?
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© 2004 Daniel R. Porter, Bronxville, New York
