After the Antique:
A late 18th / early 19th century bronze figural group of the Laocoon
A late 18th / early 19th century bronze figural group of the Laocoon
dark brown patination with lighter high points, on a rectangular plinth base, 44.5cm high
Sold for
£3,000
inc. premium
Footnotes
- The Laocoon group was excavated in Rome in 1506, and its powerful and dramatic composition had a profound influence on the Renaissance sculptors of the day including Michelangelo. It depicts Laocoon and his sons being ferociously attacked by a monstrous sea serpent, an episode from the Trojan wars. Pope Julius II bought the 1st century AD piece soon after it was discovered and summoned his architect Giuliano de Sangallo to inspect it. Sangallo instantly recognised it as the lost work from the Palace of Titus, described by Pliny the Elder who had attributed it to the Rhodian sculptors Agesander, Athenodoros, and Polydorus.
Related Literature: F. Haskell & N. Penny, Taste and the Antique, Yale University Press, London, 1981, page 243-247.
Auction Notices
- Please note this lot is late 19th century rather than late 18th century.
Category: Decorative Arts / European Sculpture and Works of Art
Auction terms and conditions
Contacts
Rachael Osborn-Howard
Bonhams
Work
101 New Bond Street
London,
W1S 1SR
United Kingdom
WorkTel:
+44 20 8963 2813
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Specialist
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European Sculpture and Works of Art