AN ITALIAN BRONZE GROUP OF LAOCOÖN
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VA… Read more
AN ITALIAN BRONZE GROUP OF LAOCOÖN

SECOND HALF 19TH CENTURY, AFTER THE ANTIQUE

Details
AN ITALIAN BRONZE GROUP OF LAOCOÖN
SECOND HALF 19TH CENTURY, AFTER THE ANTIQUE
32¾in. (83cm.) high
Set on an associated white and inlaid marble rectangular plinth on four bracket feet - 9in. (23cm.) high; 26in. (66cm.) wide (2)
Special notice
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

The present group depicting the Trojan priest Laocoön and his two sons being attacked by snakes at the temple of Neptune has been an iconic image since it was discovered in 1506 near Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome. The story, from Book II of Virgil's Aeneid, tells how Laocoön was blinded and his sons were condemned to death by Athena, who favoured the Greeks, for warning the citizens of Troy not to bring the wooden horse within the city walls. Another interpretation of the story, however, is that Apollo sent the snakes to punish the Seer for sleeping with his wife in his temple in the presence of the deity's image.

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