“LAOCOON AND HIS SONS”
BY NICHOLAS LA DUCA
“LAOCOON AND HIS SONS”
• Artists: Agesander, Polydorus and Athenodorus.
• Date: Hellenistic, circa 27 BC - 68 AD. 1
• Location: Museo Pio-Clementino,Vatican Museum.
Photo Credit: By Hagesandros, Athenedoros, and
Polydoros - LivioAndronico (2014), CC BY-SA 4.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid
=36412978
TECHNICAL DETAILS
• Type: Sculpture in the round. (freestanding)
• Medium: Marble.
• Dimensions: 6 ft 10 in × 5 ft 4 in × 3 ft 8 in.
• Depicts a man flanked by two younger boys being constricted and bitten by snakes.
MORE DETAILS
• Many different interpretations.
• According to Vergil, Laocoon was a priest of Poseidon, punished for warning Trojans. 2
• According to Sophocles he was a priest of Apollo, punished for not remaining celibate. 3
• Historical contradictions surrounding it.
• Pliny states it is made of one piece of marble when there are multiple interlocking pieces.
• It is generally accepted that it is originally a Hellenistic bronze recreated by Rhodian
copyists. 4
• Its origins are nebulous.
HEAD OF LAOCOON
• This is the head of the central figure of the Laocoon
group.
• There is a great amount of detail especially in the faces of
this sculpture.
• This statue is highly characteristic of the Hellenistic era.
• Even though Hellenistic art was exaggerated and still
idealistic, it was concerned with depicting real human
emotion and relatable contexts through representational art.
Photo Credit: By Agesander, Athenedoros and
Polydorus - Marie-Lan Nguyen (2009), CC BY 3.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid
=9008382
PROVENANCE AND SIGNIFICANCE
• The Laocoon group was possessed by many prominent historical figures.
• Originally belonged to Emperor Titus of Rome.
• In the 16th century it passed to Pope Julius the 2nd
• In the 19th century it was possessed by Napoleon until its return to Rome in 1816
• The significance of this piece comes from the fact that it influenced the works of
Michelangelo Buonarotti.
• A good example of this influence can be seen in Michelangelo’s “Belvedere Torso”
BELVEDERE TORSO VS. LAOCOON AND HIS SONS
BELVEDERE TORSO LAOCOON AND HIS SONS
BELVEDERE TORSO VS. LAOCOON AND HIS SONS
• The influence of Laocoon can be seen in the Belvedere Torso when observed closely.
• The craftmanship of the abdominals are similar on both. Especially when compared to the
right figure of the Laocoon group.
• The left quadricep of the central figure of the Laocoon is visually alike, in its attention to
the musculature, to that of the Belvedere Torso’s left leg
BELVEDERE TORSO VS. LAOCOON AND HIS SONS
(CONTINUED)
• Both statues are depicting a human form in a naturalistic pose.
• The statues are each depicting an idealized male nude using the medium of marble
• Even the use of contrapposto is evident in each.
Photo Credit: By Sailko - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30489573
PERGAMON ALTAR FRIEZE
This is a frieze from the Altar of Pergamon. Pergamon
was a Greek city and this altar was built in the 2nd
century BC. It is thought that the figure on the left was
the inspiration for the original bronze Laocoon statue.
Photo Credit: By Gryffindor - Own work, Public Domain,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3511285
MAJOR IDEAS
• The Laocoon group statue has different interpretations and it’s origins are historically
unclear.
• It is a very good example of Hellenistic art.
• It has a long and interesting history.
• It has influenced one of the greatest artists in history.
• The Belvedere Torso compared to the Laocoon is a prime example of how new art has
been influenced by past art.
• It potentially originated from a frieze at the Pergamon Altar.
WORKS CITED/FOOTNOTES
• Howard, Seymour, "Laocoon Re- • 1 Howard, 422
restored", American Journal of
• 2 Boardman, 199
Archaeology,Vol. 93, No. 3 (Jul. 1989), pp.
417–422, JSTOR • 3 Smith, 109
• Boardman, John ed., The Oxford History • 4 Boardman, 199, Smith, 109-110
of Classical Art, Oxford University Press,
1993.
• Smith, R.R.R., Hellenistic Sculpture, a
handbook, Thames & Hudson, 1991
