On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Laocoon and his Sons

Group
17th century to 18th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Italy (made)

This group depicts Laocoon and his sons being killed by serpents. Laocoon was a Trojan priest who warned the Trojans against bringing the wooden horse of the Greeks into their city. By interfering with the natural course of events he incurred the wrath of the gods, who sent sea-serpents to kill him and his two sons. In 1506 the antique marble group Laocoon and His Sons was discovered in Rome and was immediately celebrated for its technical mastery and for the intense emotion it conveyed. Artists took inspiration from the group and produced their own versions in various forms. The original antique marble group is in the Vatican Museums, in Rome.

Object details

Categories
Sculpture
Myths & Legends
Object type
Group
TitleLaocoon and his Sons (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Bronze
Bronze
Brief description
Group, bronze, depicting Laocoon and his sons, after the famous antique original, Italy, 17th -18th century
Physical description
Bronze group depicting Laocoon and his sons, after the antique. Laocoon, seated on a square pedestal between his two sons, attacked by the serpents.
Dimensions
  • Height: 30.5cm
  • Width: 27.2cm
  • Depth: 12.5cm
Credit line
Salting Bequest
Object history
From the Salting bequest.
Subjects depicted
Serpents (Animal)
Laocoon
Summary
This group depicts Laocoon and his sons being killed by serpents. Laocoon was a Trojan priest who warned the Trojans against bringing the wooden horse of the Greeks into their city. By interfering with the natural course of events he incurred the wrath of the gods, who sent sea-serpents to kill him and his two sons. In 1506 the antique marble group Laocoon and His Sons was discovered in Rome and was immediately celebrated for its technical mastery and for the intense emotion it conveyed. Artists took inspiration from the group and produced their own versions in various forms. The original antique marble group is in the Vatican Museums, in Rome.
Bibliographic references
  • Renaissance bronzes from the Victoria and Albert Museum, London : Renaissance bronzes and related drawings from the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford / organized by the Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane
  • Buranelli, Francesco et al (eds.), Laocoonte alle origini dei musei Vaticani, Roma : L'Erma di Bretschneider, 2006 no.24
  • 'Salting Bequest (A. 70 to A. 1029-1910) / Murray Bequest (A. 1030 to A. 1096-1910)'. In: List of Works of Art Acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum (Department of Architecture and Sculpture). London: Printed under the Authority of his Majesty's Stationery Office, by Eyre and Spottiswoode, Limited, East Harding Street, EC, p. 9
  • Stiegemann, Christoph, Wunder Roms Im Blick des Nordens von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart, exh. cat., 2017, pp.421-422, cat. 89.
  • Villing, Alexandra, J. Lesley Fitton, Victoria Turner and Andrew Shapland. Troy: Myth and Reality. Exhibition Catalogue, London, British Museum. London: Thames & Hudson, 2019, pp. 194-95, fig. 193
Collection
Sculpture Collection
Accession number
A.136-1910

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Record createdOctober 22, 2004
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O106691/laocoon-and-his-sons-group-unknown/
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