diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index a9c5bd0b731..087a48aef22 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -494,6 +494,7 @@ mod macros;
 
 #[cfg(feature = "experimental-inspect")]
 pub mod inspect;
+mod pyref_map;
 
 /// Ths module only contains re-exports of pyo3 deprecation warnings and exists
 /// purely to make compiler error messages nicer.
diff --git a/src/prelude.rs b/src/prelude.rs
index 4052f7c2d0b..476de5e40f0 100644
--- a/src/prelude.rs
+++ b/src/prelude.rs
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ pub use crate::marker::Python;
 #[allow(deprecated)]
 pub use crate::pycell::PyCell;
 pub use crate::pycell::{PyRef, PyRefMut};
+pub use crate::pyref_map::{PyRefMap, PyRefMapMut};
 pub use crate::pyclass_init::PyClassInitializer;
 pub use crate::types::{PyAny, PyModule};
 #[cfg(feature = "gil-refs")]
diff --git a/src/pyref_map.rs b/src/pyref_map.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..f14f89fd851
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/pyref_map.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,194 @@
+
+use std::ptr::NonNull;
+use std::marker::PhantomData;
+use std::ops::{Deref, DerefMut};
+
+use crate::pyclass::PyClass;
+use crate::pycell::{PyRef, PyRefMut};
+use crate::pyclass::boolean_struct::{True, False, private::Boolean};
+
+
+/// Represents a `PyRef` or `PyRefMut` with an opaque pyclass type.
+trait OpaquePyRef<'py>: 'py {}
+
+impl<'py, T: PyClass> OpaquePyRef<'py> for PyRef<'py, T> {}
+impl<'py, T: PyClass<Frozen=False>> OpaquePyRef<'py> for PyRefMut<'py, T> {}
+
+
+/// Base wrapper type for a [`PyRef<'py, T>`] or [`PyRefMut<'py, T>`] that 
+/// dereferences to data of type `U` that is nested within a pyclass `T` 
+/// instead of `T` itself. 
+/// 
+/// See the type aliases [`PyRefMap<'py, U>`] and [`PyRefMapMut<'py, U>`] 
+/// for more information.
+pub struct PyRefMapBase<'py, U: 'py, Mut: Boolean> {
+    // Either `PyRef` or `PyRefMut` guarding the opaque pyclass from which 
+    // the target is borrowed. 
+    owner: Box<dyn OpaquePyRef<'py>>,
+    // Pointer to the `Deref` target which is (probably) borrowed from `owner`.
+    // This pointer is derived from either `&U` or `&mut U` as  indicated by 
+    // the `Mut` parameter.
+    target: NonNull<U>,
+    // Marks whether mutable methods are supported. If `Mut` is `True` then 
+    // `owner` is a `PyRefMut` and `target` was derived from `&mut U`, so 
+    // the pointer may be mutably dereferenced safely; if `False`, then 
+    // `owner` may be either `PyRef` or `PyRefMut` and `target` was derived 
+    // from `&U` so mutable dereferencing is forbidden.
+    _mut: PhantomData<Mut>
+}
+
+/// A wrapper type for an _immutable_ reference to data of type `U` that is 
+/// nested within a [`PyRef<'py, T>`] or [`PyRefMut<'py, T>`].
+pub type PyRefMap<'py, U> = PyRefMapBase<'py, U, False>;
+
+/// A wrapper type for a _mutable_ reference to data of type `U` that is 
+/// nested within a [`PyRefMut<'py, T>`].
+pub type PyRefMapMut<'py, U> = PyRefMapBase<'py, U, True>;
+
+
+impl<'py, T: PyClass> PyRefMap<'py, T> {
+    
+    /// Construct a no-op `PyRefMap` that dereferences to the same 
+    /// value as the given [`PyRef`] or [`PyRefMut`].
+    pub fn new<R>(owner: R) -> PyRefMap<'py, T> 
+        where R: OpaquePyRef<'py> + Deref<Target=T>,
+    {
+        let target = NonNull::from(&*owner);
+        PyRefMap {target, owner: Box::new(owner), _mut: PhantomData}
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'py, T: PyClass<Frozen = False>> PyRefMapMut<'py, T> {
+    
+    /// Construct a no-op `PyRefMapMut` that dereferences to the same 
+    /// value as the given [`PyRefMut`].
+    pub fn new(mut owner: PyRefMut<'py, T>) -> PyRefMapMut<'py, T> {
+        let target = NonNull::from(&mut *owner);
+        PyRefMapMut {target, owner: Box::new(owner), _mut: PhantomData}
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'py, U: 'py, Mut: Boolean> PyRefMapBase<'py, U, Mut> {
+    
+    /// Applies the given function to the wrapped reference and wrap the 
+    /// return value in a new `PyRefMap`.
+    pub fn map<F, V>(mut self, f: F) -> PyRefMap<'py, V> 
+        where F: FnOnce(&U) -> &V
+    {
+        let target = NonNull::from(f(&*self));
+        PyRefMap {target, owner: self.owner, _mut: PhantomData}
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'py, U: 'py> PyRefMapMut<'py, U> {
+    
+    /// Applies the given function to the wrapped mutable reference and 
+    /// wrap the return value in a new `PyRefMapMut`.
+    pub fn map_mut<F, V>(mut self, f: F) -> PyRefMapMut<'py, V> 
+        where F: FnOnce(&mut U) -> &mut V
+    {
+        let target = NonNull::from(f(&mut *self));
+        PyRefMapMut {target, owner: self.owner, _mut: PhantomData}
+    }
+}
+
+// either flavor can safely implement `Deref`
+impl<'py, U: 'py, Mut: Boolean> Deref for PyRefMapBase<'py, U, Mut> {
+    type Target = U;
+    fn deref(&self) -> &U {
+        // we own the `PyRef` or `PyRefMut` that is guarding our access to `T`
+        unsafe { self.target.as_ref() }
+    }
+}
+
+// only the `Mut=True` flavor can safely implement `DerefMut`
+impl<'py, U: 'py> DerefMut for PyRefMapMut<'py, U> {
+    fn deref_mut(&mut self) -> &mut U {
+        // we own the `PyRefMut` that is guarding our exclusive access to `T`
+        unsafe { self.target.as_mut() }
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'py, T: PyClass> PyRef<'py, T> {
+    pub fn into_map<F, U: 'py>(self, f: F) -> PyRefMap<'py, U>
+        where F: FnOnce(&T) -> &U
+    {
+        PyRefMap::new(self).map(f)
+    }
+}
+
+impl<'py, T: PyClass<Frozen = False>> PyRefMut<'py, T> {
+    
+    pub fn into_map<F, U: 'py>(self, f: F) -> PyRefMap<'py, U>
+        where F: FnOnce(&T) -> &U
+    {
+        PyRefMap::new(self).map(f)
+    }
+    
+    pub fn into_map_mut<F, U: 'py>(self, f: F) -> PyRefMapMut<'py, U>
+        where F: FnOnce(&mut T) -> &mut U
+    {
+        PyRefMapMut::new(self).map_mut(f)
+    }
+}
+
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+    use crate::prelude::*;
+    use crate::types::PyString;
+    
+    #[pyclass]
+    #[pyo3(crate = "crate")]
+    pub struct MyClass {
+        data: [i32; 100]
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn pyref_map() -> PyResult<()> {
+        Python::with_gil(|py| -> PyResult<()> {
+            let bound = Bound::new(py, MyClass{data: [0; 100]})?;
+            let data = bound.try_borrow()?.into_map(|c| &c.data);
+            assert_eq!(data[0], 0);
+            Ok(())
+        })
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn pyrefmut_map() -> PyResult<()> {
+        Python::with_gil(|py| -> PyResult<()> {
+            let bound = Bound::new(py, MyClass{data: [0; 100]})?;
+            let data = bound.try_borrow_mut()?.into_map(|c| &c.data);
+            assert_eq!(data[0], 0);
+            Ok(())
+        })
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn pyrefmut_map_mut() -> PyResult<()> {
+        Python::with_gil(|py| -> PyResult<()> {
+            let bound = Bound::new(py, MyClass{data: [0; 100]})?;
+            let mut data = bound
+                .try_borrow_mut()?
+                .into_map_mut(|c| &mut c.data);
+            data[0] = 5;
+            assert_eq!(data[0], 5);
+            Ok(())
+        })
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn pyref_map_unrelated() -> PyResult<()> {
+        Python::with_gil(|py| -> PyResult<()> {
+            let bound = Bound::new(py, MyClass{data: [0; 100]})?;
+            let string = PyString::new_bound(py, "pyo3");
+            // there is nothing stopping the user from returning something not
+            // borrowing from the pyref, but that shouldn't matter. The borrow 
+            // checker still enforces the `'py` lifetime
+            let refmap = bound.try_borrow()?.into_map(|_| &string);
+            assert_eq!(refmap.to_str()?, "pyo3");
+            Ok(())
+        })
+    }
+}