Tuesday, February 05, 2008

I've always wondered,


The Entombment of Christ,
one of my favourite Caravaggios


if the Shroud of Turin was painted or otherwise manufactured by someone in the 13th century,

how come it's a photo negative?

How would a medieval man, seeking to create a hoax relic, even conceive of the idea? Isn't it much more likely that it would be a positive image, and one, moreover, that is a bit easier to see? If I were someone in the 13th century trying to convince pilgrims to part with their cash, a medieval P.T. Barnum, I would come up with something that would appeal more to the senses.

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