This impressive bronze sculpture represents the death of Laocoon and his sons. It is an Enlightenment reworking of an ancient sculpture dating to the 1st century BC, and which classes as one of the supreme masterworks of the ancient world. The sculpture is notable for its clever juxtaposition of the powerful and mature musculature of the lead figure, compared with the slimmer, athletic figures of his sons. The sinuous and powerful forms of the snakes move effortlessly around the struggling bodies and perfectly frame them.Laocoon was Poseidon’s priest, whose most famous utterance is the classic: Equo ne credite, Teucri / Quidquid id est, timeo Danaos et dona ferentes (Trojans, do not trust this horse/ whatever it may be the Greeks are to be feared, even when they come bearing gifts). He knew there was something suspicious about the vast wooden horse that had been delivered to the gates of Troy – and, indeed, it contained numerous Greek soldiers who planned to take the city by night once it was taken inside the gates.Unfortunately, Laocoon underlined his objections by throwing his spear at the horse, and at this moment two serpents, sent by Minerva, surfaced from the sea and strangled Laocoon and his two sons Antiphantes and Thymbraeus. The lines from Virgil’s Aeneid describe the scene: Bronze Sculpture of the Laocoon Group - X.0514Origin: Europe Circa: 19 th Century ADDimensions: 33" (83.8cm) high x 25.50" (64.8cm) wide Collection: Decorative Style: Neo-Classical Medium: Bronze

Sculpture