Skip to content
IllusionsBlog
Take the testMüller-Lyer illusionEbbinghaus illusionDelboeuf illusionSee all: Size and shapeSimultaneous contrastWhite’s illusionHermann gridSee all: Light and colorMotion-induced blindnessPeripheral driftPinna-Brelstaff ringsSee all: MotionNecker cubeRubin vaseSchröder stairsSee all: Two ways to see itWhat are optical illusions?Illusions for kidsHow strongly are you fooled?See all: Guides

Two ways to see it

Rubin vase

A vase, or two faces looking at each other? You cannot see both at once.

By Illusions Blog · Updated · How we make them

TypeTwo ways to see it
InteractiveYes: sliders and a check
First described1915

You see either a vase in the middle or two faces in profile on the sides. It flips between them.

Try this

  • Tick Swap the colors: which one do you see first now?
  • Change Thickness of the vase neck.

Why it happens

This is about figure and ground: the brain decides which region is the object and which is background, and the shared edge belongs to only one of them at a time. When the edge is assigned to the vase, the faces become background, and vice versa. Danish psychologist Edgar Rubin wrote about figure and ground in 1915. The version on this page is drawn in code.

Did you know?

People tend to see as figure the smaller, enclosed, symmetrical region, which is why thicker or thinner necks can tip the balance.

References

The illusion on this page is drawn by code written for this site. Last checked 1 November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Do you see a vase or faces?

Both are there; most people flip between them and cannot see both at the same moment.

Try these next

Necker cube website preview Two ways to see itNecker cube A simple line drawing of a cube flips between two different 3D shapes. Schröder stairs website preview Two ways to see itSchröder stairs A staircase you can see going up from the floor or hanging upside down from the ceiling.