La Bocca della Verità
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La Bocca della Verità (in English, "the Mouth of Truth") is a renowned image, carved from Pavonazzetto marble, of a man-like face and located in the portico of the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin in Rome, Italy. The sculpture is thought to be part of an ancient Roman fountain, or perhaps a manhole cover, portraying one of several possible pagan gods.[1]
The most famous characteristic of the Mouth, however, is its role as a lie detector. Starting from the Middle Ages, it was believed that if one told a lie with his hand in the mouth of the sculpture, it would be bitten off. The piece was placed in the portico of the Santa Maria in Cosmedin in the 17th century.
[edit] La Bocca in polular culture
The Mouth of Truth is most well known from its appearance in the 1953 film Roman Holiday. In the film, Audrey Hepburn (playing a princess) and Gregory Peck (playing a reporter) visit the Mouth of Truth, and Peck relates the legend. He challenges Hepburn to place her hand inside the mouth, which she does with no ill effects. She then asks Peck to do the same and when he does he yells and pulls his arm out to reveal his hand is missing! Hepburn's shriek on seeing this is not acting as Peck had pulled a practical joke on her on camera by pulling his arm inside his sleeve. Peck ends the joke by popping his hand out into a handshake position and going "Hello!" Hepburn, relieved, breaks into laughter. The joke was incorporated into the film. The film also uses the Mouth of Truth as a storytelling device since both Hepburn's and Peck's characters are not initially truthful with each other.
This scene from Roman Holiday was parodied in the 2000 Japanese film Sleeping Bride by Hideo Nakata, with the main characters reenacting it with a replica of La Bocca.
The Mouth of Truth is also featured in the popular Gamecube game Animal Crossing. In the game, the player is capable of obtaining The Mouth of the Truth as a gift through Gulliver the Seagull.
[edit] Replicas and similar sculptures
Electronic coin-operated reproductions of the Mouth are found in fairgrounds of Spain.
There is a similar sculpture of a lion in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, India which according to local lore bites off one's hand if a lie is told.
[edit] External links
