[Swordmaker]

Just an observation from the images: The face on the Manoppello appears somewhat distorted. I think it’s from the cloth not being evenly stretched when it was flattened to be framed.

I think so too... Cambric and byssus are both very flexible and very light fabrics. Think how difficult it is to keep a fine veil flat while putting something flat like glass on it with air moving the veil. Also the artist who may have painted it would have had to have EVENLY stretched the very fine cloth on the frame before painting... and if he didn't the very nicely layed out painting would be distorted as soon as it left the frame, never to be an undistorted image again.

[Richard Kimball]

I was an art major in college, and had a few experiences trying to frame paintings that had been painted on unstretched canvas. It's almost impossible (at least for me) to get it right. Of all the relics claiming to be related to the Christ, the shroud is the only one I find compelling.