INFO:

The sleeping Hermaphrodite is a marble sculpture (cm 25 cm 148) dating back to the second century BC and is located in Rome at the National Roman Museum of Palazzo Massimo. It was discovered in Rome in 1879, hidden in a special spot in a private building below the famous Opera House. This sculpture shows a Hermaphrodite, a figure with both male and female reproductive parts. In Greek mythology, Hermaphrodite is the child of Hermes and Aphrodite. According to Ovid's Metamorphoses, a nymph named Salmace falls deeply in love with Hermaphrodite and asks the gods to join her with the beloved. Their union results in a unique being, half male and half female. The Sleeping Hermaphrodite is depicted lying down on a bed, with the right arm as a pillow for the head. This position gives the statue a sensual and erotic quality, appearing mostly feminine from one side. However, when viewed from the other side, you can see the male reproductive organ, revealing its dual sexual identity.