Currently not on view
Laocoon,
17th century
Italian
y1968-119
The ancient marble sculpture of the Trojan priest Laocoön and his sons strangled by snakes (2.42 meters high) was excavated in Rome in 1506. Pope Julius II acquired and exhibited it in the Belvedere courtyard of the Vatican Palace, where it still stands today. One of the very few documented ancient sculptures, it was praised by Pliny the Elder in his Natural History and said to be by three sculptors from the island of Rhodes. Arguably the most celebrated and influential ancient work from its discovery through the later eighteenth century, the Laocoön was copied countless times in drawings, paintings, full-scale casts in plaster or bronze, and small-scale reductions like this.
Information
Title
Laocoon
Dates
17th century
Medium
Terracotta
Dimensions
h. 82 cm (32 5/16 in.) (maximum)
plinth: 52 x 24.5 cm (20 1/2 x 9 5/8 in.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, gift of Elias Wolf, Class of 1920, and Mrs. Wolf
Object Number
y1968-119
Culture
Type
Materials
Subject
Ludwig Pollak, Rome. (Adolph Loewi, Los Angeles); purchase by Princeton University Art Museum.
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The Museum regularly researches its objects and their collecting histories, updating its records to reflect new information. We also strive to catalogue works of art using language that is consistent with how people, subjects, artists, and cultures describe themselves. As this effort is ongoing, the Museum’s records may be incomplete or contain terms that are no longer acceptable. We welcome your feedback, questions, and additional information that you feel may be useful to us. Email us at collectionsinfo@princeton.edu.
