A Sculpture That Changes With Your Angle: The Sleeping Hermaphroditus

This is the Sleeping Hermaphroditus. In Greek mythology, Hermaphroditus embodies both male and female characteristics at once. From behind, the figure looks distinctly feminine, but walk around to the other side and the male anatomy becomes just as clear — that shift in impression depending on your viewing angle is exactly what makes this piece so captivating.

Originally, only the marble figure itself existed. The mattress beneath it was added later, commissioned by the Borghese family and carved by none other than Bernini, the great sculptor of the Baroque era. His work is so convincingly soft and lifelike that it's hard to believe it's carved from the same hard marble.

This piece was a particular favorite of the Borghese family. After it fell into Napoleon's hands, the family is said to have commissioned an exact replica to fill its absence — and that copy can still be seen today at the Borghese Gallery in Rome.