What Happened to Oscar Wilde's Testicles?

We can assume that author Oscar Wilde's actual testicles are with the rest of his body, buried under a huge limestone memorial in Paris’s Père Lachaise Cemetery. The mystery is about the celebrated testicles that came with the stone figure carved into the 9 foot by 11 foot memorial over the grave. The statue, by sculptor Jacob Epstein, is of a winged man flying in a semi-prone position. In 1912, the statue's testicles were so shocking that cemetery officials covered the memorial stone with a tarp. After a court battle with Epstein, the tarp was removed but a bronze plaque covered the testicles. The plaque was later stolen. The statue was again covered in a tarp for some time. Then in 1961, the limestone testicles themselves were stolen. Rumor had it that the testicles were sent back, but were then used as paperweights by a cemetery employee. Meanwhile, visitors were kissing the memorial so much that a glass barrier was added. Read the long and winding story of Oscar Wilde's memorial stone and the testicles no one can see, at Mental Floss.  -via Strange Company


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