15 Inches High x 11.5 Inches Wide x 12.5 Inches Deep
The full-size head of the Trojan priest Laocoön from the group Laocoön and his sons. The group represents a scene described in Virgil’s Aeneid in which the Trojan priest Laocoön and his sons are set upon by serpents at Poseidon’s command as punishment for Laocoön warning the Trojans against the wooden horse. The sculpture group was discovered on January 14, 1506 during an excavation in a vineyard owned by Felice de’ Fredis on the Esquiline Hill in Rome. It was recognized as the sculpture described by Pliny the Elder as the masterpiece of the sculptors of Rhodes. Pope Julius II purchased it and displayed it in the Statues Courtyard at the Vatican.
Artist: Hagesandros, Athanadoros and Polydoros of Rhodes
Museum: Pio Clementino Museum, Vatican Museums, Vatican City
Origin: Esquiline Hill, Rome
Time Period: Ancient Greek, c. 40-30 B.C.E.
Sources:
Collins, Neil. “Laocoon and His Sons.” Art Encyclopedia. Visual-arts-cork.com, 2018, http:///sculpture/laocoon.htm.
“Laocoön.” Vatican Museums, http://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/collezioni/musei/museo-pio-clementino/Cortile-Ottagono/laocoonte.html.