[FSPress]

While I was reading this article, I was reminded of writing with "invisible ink" as a kid. A sugar water solution will dry clear on a piece of paper and then show up as brown writing when the paper is exposed to mild heat. We also used a rubber date stamp to stamp the date on the paper with our invisible ink. I wonder if this image was stamped (perhaps using a persons actual face as the stamp with some enhancements in a stronger sugar solution painted in) onto the cloth with sugar water and then gently heated to make the image appear. Also, one thing has always puzzled me, if the body were lying down I would not expect the hair to be framing the face as shown, it would have fallen back.

Oh well, I will leave it to the experts in these matters to determine if the shroud is real.

[Swordmaker]

Also, one thing has always puzzled me, if the body were lying down I would not expect the hair to be framing the face as shown, it would have fallen back.

Tests on living persons and cadavers have shown that with the "napkin bound about his head" (under the jaw and around the head by the ears) the long hair exhibits EXACTLY that pattern... it is supported by the rolled up napkin (othonia). This is especially true if the hair is (as in this case) matted and stiff with blood and sweat.

[Swordmaker]

I wonder if this image was stamped (perhaps using a persons actual face as the stamp with some enhancements in a stronger sugar solution painted in) onto the cloth with sugar water and then gently heated to make the image appear.

There are many things wrong with this hypothesis. First, and foremost, the image does not exist UNDER the undisturbed bloodstains! That means the blood was placed on the cloth before the image was formed.

Any artist would have to have some method of placing the blood stains accurately without the image... and THEN "stamped" the image to exactly match the placement of the blood... without disturbing it.

Next, the image does not soak into the linen... it exists only on the very top fibrils of the linen thread... and is composed of linen that is more oxidized than the rest of the thread.

Finally, any "stamping" technique would not duplicate the perfect negative nature or the three-dimension information encoded into the image on the shroud.

[SoothingDave]

While I was reading this article, I was reminded of writing with "invisible ink" as a kid. A sugar water solution will dry clear on a piece of paper and then show up as brown writing when the paper is exposed to mild heat.

Do you honestly think that this image is caramel? And that no one has tested for this juvenile thing?

SD

[my_pointy_head_is_sharp]

Also, one thing has always puzzled me, if the body were lying down I would not expect the hair to be framing the face as shown, it would have fallen back.

I made that exact point the last time this subject thread came up.