This is a souvenir of the solemn exposition of the Holy Shroud, Turin Italy, May 1898. Only a very limited number of commemoratives were issued (some say only 100 pieces), and each piece was touched to the Shroud of Turin with the approval of the ecclesiastical authority. It is also considered historically important because it is the last iconographic depiction of the Shroud before the famous first photographs were taken by Secondo Pia. The center piece shows what the image in the Shroud looked like when viewing it with the unaided eye. There are people that believe the Shroud is the burial cloth of Jesus Christ … and there are people that do not. Regardless, the Shroud of Turin is the most scientifically studied ancient artifact in world history. May God Bless You Today … and Every Day!
(above) close-up detail of the 1898 Shroud of Turin Commemorative Cloth. One has to be viewing the cloth at a certain angle in order for the image in the cloth to become visible. It has been stated that the actual Shroud of Turin relies on viewer geometry as well for the best image.
(above) close-up detail of the illustrated depiction of the Shroud Image. This may be the closest that one can come to actually seeing the Shroud Image without actually being at an exhibition.
(above) a photographic negative reversal of the image (black and white).
