I would be interested to hear comments (on or off list) on the subject of
wearing gloves when handling important historical textiles. Is this even
discussed anymore amongst conservators? What I was able to find from research
and consulting several textile conservators is that there is a broad
consensus.

Gloves were NOT used in extensive handling of the world's most famous textile,
the Shroud of Turin, during one month of unnecessary surgery and
"restoration."

I have posted an excerpt from my book "The Rape of the Turin Shroud" regarding
the failure to wear gloves during the "restoration," and the justification
offered by Madame Flury-Lemberg, at

http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~wmeacham/chap12.htm


Sadly, there were other even worse conservation horrors in this operation, see

http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byform/mailing-lists/texcons/2006/06/msg00016.html

A chapter-by-chapter synopsis of the book along with the 5-page Preface can
now be read online at

http://www.lulu.com/content/144747

by clicking on "Preview this book".



William Meacham
University of Hong Kong