Laocoon and his sons
Group
ca. 1803-1805 (made)
ca. 1803-1805 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Laocoon was the Trojan priest who warned the citizens of Troy against bringing the Greeks' wooden horse into the city. He and his two sons were then strangled by two giant snakes which swam ashore, while Laocoon was officiating at the altar of Neptune. This terracotta appeared in the sale of Nollekens's studio effects held on 4 July, 1823. Nollekens freely adapted the famous Hellenistic marble group in the Vatican for this terracotta study, which may be identical to a sketch he exhibited in the Royal Academy in 1805.
Joseph Nollekens (1737-1823) was a prolific sculptor of portrait busts and operated a thriving workshop in London. He spent eight years in Rome from 1762 to 1770, where he worked with Bartolomeo Cavaceppi restoring and copying antique marbles. One of these copies, his group of Castor and Pollux, is in the Museum's collection (Museum no. A.59-1940). He probably perfected his modelling of clay while he was in Rome and started to experiment in making small figures or groups. These occasionally became models for large-scale finished marbles, but many, still in his studio at his death, were simply studies in their own right, which he called pensieri (thoughts).
Joseph Nollekens (1737-1823) was a prolific sculptor of portrait busts and operated a thriving workshop in London. He spent eight years in Rome from 1762 to 1770, where he worked with Bartolomeo Cavaceppi restoring and copying antique marbles. One of these copies, his group of Castor and Pollux, is in the Museum's collection (Museum no. A.59-1940). He probably perfected his modelling of clay while he was in Rome and started to experiment in making small figures or groups. These occasionally became models for large-scale finished marbles, but many, still in his studio at his death, were simply studies in their own right, which he called pensieri (thoughts).
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Title | Laocoon and his sons (generic title) |
Materials and techniques | Terracotta |
Brief description | Group, sketch-model, terracotta, Laocoon and his sons, by Joseph Nollekens, England, 1803-5 |
Physical description | Sketch-model in terracotta. The naked Laocoon stands with bowed shoulders between his two sons, his right foot advanced. He places his right hand on the shoulder of the boy on his right. With his raised left hand he grasps one of the two serpents which are attacking them. The second boy, seated on the ground, clings to his father's left leg. The three figures are bound together within the coils of the serpents. |
Dimensions |
|
Gallery label | 1. Joseph Nollekens 1737–1823
Laocoön and his Sons
About 1803–05
For this terracotta study Nollekens freely adapted a classical marble in the Vatican. Laocoön was a Trojan priest who warned the citizens of Troy against bringing the Greeks’ wooden horse into the city. As a punishment, the gods ordered that he and his two sons should be strangled by two giant snakes.
London
Terracotta
Museum no. A.12-1966
Given by Miss Zoë Gordon Smith |
Credit line | Given by Miss Zoë Gordon Smith |
Object history | Sold on the second day of Christie's sale of Nollekens's studio effects, held from 3 to 5 July by Mr. Christie, in 1823, lot 35. Purchased by Mrs Palmer. Sold again at the Mrs Russell sale on 19 March 1847, lot 397. Purchased by Mr Peter Norton Esq., Soho Square, London, for £1 13s. Sold at the sale of Peter Norton's collection held at Christie 19 January 1869, lot 1096. Purchased by Benjamin for £1 12s. Purchased under the Bequest of Dr W.L Hildburgh in 1966 for £250 from Miss Dorothy Hartley, Froncysylltau, Llangollen, Denbighshire. |
Historical context | The ascription to Nollekens is based on the resemblance of A.12-1966 to terracotta sketch models known to be by his hand, A.6,7,8,9 and 10-1944 and A.21-1955. The case is strengthened by the existence of related drawings by Nollekens of the Laocoon theme in the Victoria and Albert Museum Department of Prints and Drawings and in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. Nollekens exhibited in the Royal Academy in 1805 '694. A Sketch of Laocoon and his Sons'. As he used the term 'sketch' for sketch model and as his drawings were scarcley exhibitable, it can be inferred that No. 694 was in fact a terracotta model. In the posthumous sale of his collection, among 'PENSIERI IN TERRACOTTA BY MR. NOLLEKENS', is '35 A Group of Laocoon- treated differently from the antique.' |
Subjects depicted | |
Summary | Laocoon was the Trojan priest who warned the citizens of Troy against bringing the Greeks' wooden horse into the city. He and his two sons were then strangled by two giant snakes which swam ashore, while Laocoon was officiating at the altar of Neptune. This terracotta appeared in the sale of Nollekens's studio effects held on 4 July, 1823. Nollekens freely adapted the famous Hellenistic marble group in the Vatican for this terracotta study, which may be identical to a sketch he exhibited in the Royal Academy in 1805. Joseph Nollekens (1737-1823) was a prolific sculptor of portrait busts and operated a thriving workshop in London. He spent eight years in Rome from 1762 to 1770, where he worked with Bartolomeo Cavaceppi restoring and copying antique marbles. One of these copies, his group of Castor and Pollux, is in the Museum's collection (Museum no. A.59-1940). He probably perfected his modelling of clay while he was in Rome and started to experiment in making small figures or groups. These occasionally became models for large-scale finished marbles, but many, still in his studio at his death, were simply studies in their own right, which he called pensieri (thoughts). |
Bibliographic references |
|
Collection | |
Accession number | A.12-1966 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
Record created | August 14, 2006 |
Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest