Most people see either a vase-like object, or two faces. You may see one image in one picture, and the second image in the other, or you may see the same image in both, just one is black and one is white. It all depends on the concept of perception.
I think they adopted Corinthian order, for this type of orders can be seen on many cathedrals around Europe including those in France, Malta (Valletta), etc.
