Laocoön. An antique marble group (Vatican Mus.) representing the Trojan priest Laocoön and his two sons being crushed to death by serpents as a penalty for warning the Trojans against the wooden horse of the Greeks, an incident related by Virgil in the Aeneid ii. 199–231. It is usually dated to the 2nd or 1st century bc or the 1st century ad, although whether it is an original Hellenistic piece or a Roman copy has long been a matter of dispute. Pliny states that in his time it stood in the palace of the Emperor Titus in Rome, records that it was made by the sculptors Hagesander, Polydorus, and Athenodorus of Rhodes, and describes it as ‘a work to be preferred to all that the arts of painting and sculpture have produced’. This praise echoed long after the sculpture had disappeared, and its dramatic rediscovery in a vineyard in Rome in 1506 made an overwhelming impression, notably on Michelangelo, who went to see it immediately. Its liberating influence for the expression of the emotions continued to be important for Baroque sculpture and until the 19th century it was ranked (with the Apollo Belvedere and the Belvedere Torso) as one of the greatest works of antiquity. (As early as about 1530 Titian satirized the adulation it received in a woodcut showing the figures changed to monkeys.) It was given a new aesthetic significance by Winckelmann, who saw it as a supreme symbol of the moral dignity of the tragic hero and the most complete exemplification of the ‘noble simplicity and quiet majesty’ that he regarded as the essence of Greek idealistic art and the key to true beauty. In 1766 Lessing chose Laokoon as the title of the book in which he attacked Winckelmann's ideas.

The Laocoön was one of the greatest prizes taken from Italy by Napoleon and was in Paris 1798–1815. It has been restored several times since its discovery, and a complete renovation was made in the 1950s, when Laocoön's original right arm was returned to the figure and replaced in its correct position behind his head. Although no longer considered one of the world's supreme masterpieces, it has slipped in esteem much less than some once-revered antique marbles; it continues to be a work with a powerful hold over the imagination and still finds a place in almost all general histories of art.

Study of the Laocoön was revolutionized in 1957 by one of the most spectacular archaeological discoveries of the 20th century, when several groups of marble figures representing events in Homer's Odyssey were found at Sperlonga (ancient Spelunca) near Naples; the names Hagesander, Polydoros, and Athenodoros are inscribed on one of the groups (now in the museum at Sperlonga), which are close in style to the Laocoön. The cave in which these sculptures were found was evidently used as a banqueting hall by the Emperor Tiberius (reigned ad 14–37), and there is other evidence linking them with the 1st century ad, so this date is now finding favour among classical archaeologists for the Laocoön also.

Laocoön An antique marble group (Vatican Mus.) representing the Trojan priest Laocoön and his two sons being crushed to death by serpents as a penalty for warning the Trojans against the wooden horse of the Greeks, an incident related by Virgil in the Aeneid 2 199–231. It is usually dated to the 2nd or 1st century bc or the 1st century ad, although whether it is an original Hellenistic piece or a Roman copy has long been a matter of dispute. Pliny states that in his time it stood in the palace of the emperor Titus in Rome, records that it was made by the sculptors Hagesander, Polydorus, and Athenodorus of Rhodes, and describes it as ‘a work to be preferred to all that the arts of painting and sculpture have produced’. This praise echoed long after the sculpture had disappeared, and its dramatic rediscovery in a vineyard in Rome in 1506 made an overwhelming impression, notably on Michelangelo, who went to see it immediately. Its liberating influence for the expression of the emotions continued to be important for Baroque sculpture, and until the 19th century it was ranked (with the Apollo Belvedere and the Belvedere Torso) as one of the greatest works of antiquity. (As early as about 1530 Titian satirized the adulation it received in a woodcut showing the figures changed to monkeys.) It was given a new aesthetic significance by Winckelmann, who saw it as a supreme symbol of the moral dignity of the tragic hero and the most complete exemplification of the ‘noble simplicity and quiet majesty’ that he regarded as the essence of Greek idealistic art and the key to true beauty. In 1766 G. E. Lessing chose Laokoon as the title of the book in which he attacked Winckelmann's ideas. The sculpture was one of the prizes taken from Italy by Napoleon and was in Paris 1798–1815. Although no longer considered one of the world's greatest masterpieces, the Laocoön has slipped in esteem much less than some once-revered antique statues; it continues to be a work with a powerful hold over the imagination and still finds a place in almost all general histories of art. It has been restored several times since its discovery, and a complete renovation was made in the 1950s, when Laocoön's original right arm was returned to the figure and replaced in its correct position behind his head.

Study of the Laocoön was revolutionized in 1957 by one of the most spectacular archaeological discoveries of the 20th century, when several groups of marble figures representing events in Homer's Odyssey were found at Sperlonga near Naples; the names Hagesander, Polydoros, and Athenodoros are inscribed on one of the groups (now in the museum at Sperlonga), which are close in style to the Laocoön. The cave in which these sculptures were found was evidently used as a banqueting hall by the emperor Tiberius (reigned ad 14–37), and there is other evidence linking them with the 1st century ad, so this date is now finding favour among classical archaeologists for the Laocoön also.

Laocoön , in Greek mythology, priest of Apollo who warned the Trojans not to touch the wooden horse made by the Greeks during the Trojan War. While he and his two sons were sacrificing to Poseidon at the seashore, two serpents came from the water and crushed them. The Trojans interpreted this event as a sign of the gods' disapproval of Laocoön's prophecy, and they brought the wooden horse into the city. Subsequent events vindicated Laocoön's judgment, however, since the horse was filled with Greeks, who waited until night and then sacked Troy. A magnificent Greek statue by Agesander, Athenodorus, and Polydorus, unearthed in Rome in 1508 and now in the Vatican, shows Laocoön and his sons in their death struggle. This Hellenistic sculpture had an important influence on the artists of the Renaissance.

Laocoön

In Greek and Roman mythology, Laocoön was a seer and priest of the god Apollo* in the ancient city of Troy*. He played a notable role in the last days of the Trojan Warf and met a violent death with his twin sons, Antiphas and Thymbraeus.

Toward the end of the Trojan War, the Greeks placed a large wooden horse before the gates of Troy. Laocoön hurled a spear at it and warned the Trojans not to bring the horse into the city. He said, "I fear the Greeks even when they offer gifts." Soon afterward, the Trojans ordered Laocoön to sacrifice a bull to the god Poseidon*. While he was making the sacrifice near the sea, two great serpents emerged from the water and crushed Laocoön and his sons to death. The Trojans interpreted this event as a sign of the gods' disapproval of Laocoön's prophecy, and they brought the horse into the city, an action that led to their downfall. Hiding inside the horse were Greek soldiers, who opened the gates of Troy at night, allowing the Greek army to enter and destroy the city.

seer one who can predict the future

prophecy foretelling of what is to come; also something that is predicted

epic long poem about legendary or historical heroes, written in a grand style

Some stories say that the death of Laocoön and his sons was punishment from Athena* or Poseidon for warning the Trojans against the wooden horse. This is the reason given in the Aeneid, an epic by the Roman poet Virgil. According to other legends, however, Apollo sent the serpents to kill Laocoön as punishment for an earlier wrong—breaking his vow to the god that he would never marry or have children.

See also Animals in Mythology; Greek Mythology; Roman Mythology; Seers; Serpents and Snakes; Trojan War.

* See Names and Places at the end of this volume for further information.

Laocoon in Greek mythology, a Trojan priest who, with his two sons, was crushed to death by two great sea serpents as a penalty for warning the Trojans against the Trojan Horse. A marble sculpture in the Vatican Museum, attributed by Pliny to Agesander, Athenodorus, and Polydurus of Rhodes, depicts the death of Laocoon and his sons, and in allusive use his name often reflects the idea of someone struggling within enveloping coils.

Laocoon •aide-de-camp, aides-de-camp, anon, Asunción, au courant, begone, Bonn, bon vivant, Caen, Canton, Carcassonne, Ceylon, chaconne, chateaubriand, ci-devant, Colón, colon, Concepción, con (US conn), cretonne, don, Duchamp, Evonne, foregone, fromage blanc, Gabon, Garonne, gone, guenon, hereupon, Inchon, Jean, john, Jon, Le Mans, León, Luzon, Mont Blanc, Narbonne, odds-on, on, outgone, outshone, Perón, phon, piñon, Pinot Blanc, plafond, Ramón, Saigon, Saint-Saëns, Sand, Schwann, scone, shone, side-on, sine qua non, Sorbonne, spot-on, swan, thereon, thereupon, ton, Toulon, undergone, upon, Villon, wan, whereon, whereupon, won, wonton, yon, Yvonne •crayon, rayon •Leon, Lyons, neon, prion •Ceredigion • Mabinogion • nucleon •Amiens • dupion • parathion •Laocoon •gluon, Rouen •bon-bon • Audubon