OK.
There is a reason why God commanded us to have no idols or make any graven images purported to be things of heaven or spiritual things.
Well, yes. He had not revealed any such.
Then, there was the Incarnation. St. Paul speaks of it thus:
Colossians 1:
4Hearing your faith in Christ Jesus, and the love which you have towards all the saints. 5For the hope that is laid up for you in heaven, which you have heard in the word of the truth of the gospel, 6Which is come unto you, as also it is in the whole world, and bringeth forth fruit and groweth, even as it doth in you, since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth. 7As you learned of Epaphras, our most beloved fellow servant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ Jesus; 8Who also hath manifested to us your love in the spirit. 9Therefore we also, from the day that we heard it, cease not to pray for you, and to beg that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will, in all wisdom, and spiritual understanding: 10That you may walk worthy of God, in all things pleasing; being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God: 11Strengthened with all might, according to the power of his glory, in all patience and longsuffering with joy, 12Giving thanks to God the Father, who hath made us worthy to be partakers of the lot of the saints in light: 13Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love, 14In whom we have redemption through his blood, the remission of sins; 15Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
And image indeed, for was not Man originally created in the "Image and likeness of God"?
Still, as I have argued above:
1) The particular appearance of Jesus is less important than the FACT that he did indeed have a particular appearance.
2) If, in fact, the shroud is Jesus' burial cloth, He may have left it as a reminder that the Incarnation was real. Maybe. IMHO.
I'm not sure I really have much more to say on this topic.
Well lets just close by saying Christ said he was leaving the sign of Jonah as the only sign he would leave for a foolish generation who was always seeking after signs. To extend you an olive branch, the cloth could be a part of that same sign...and empty tomb and empty burial cloth with Christ leaving that image of himself as a sort of “Kilroy was here” graffiti mark upon the whole of matter. The thought that Christ might do that as a sort of “hey let’s leave them wondering” gesture does stimulate the humor imp in me!