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Laocoön and His Sons

This copy of the statue stands outside on the grounds of San Francisco's
Palace of the Legion of Honor. I photographed it on January 11,2006, the day
Anne Moffet and I went to see the AFTER THE RUINS show.


Laocoön and His Sons
Athanadoros, Hagesandros, and Polydoros of Rhodes
early 1st century

One of the major discoveries of the Italian Renaissance, this sculptural grouping was lost for centuries but found in 1506 near Rome, by a farmer plowing a field in the ruins of Titus' palace. It depicts an event in
Vergil's Aeneid (Book 2). Michelangelo (1475-1564) had been in Rome twice, (1505-06) to start work on the Tomb of Pope Julius II; on that visit he and the pope, upon hearing the news of the Laocoön discovery, rode by horseback through the countyside of Rome, to witness the unearthing of the ancient Laocoön Group. Realizing that the sculpture was indeed the long lost famous Laocoön, it was mounted on a special wagon and brought back into Rome with a traditional hero¹s welcome. Along with the city turning out for the 'ticker
tape parade',there were three days of citywide celebrations.

Laocoön in Greek Mythology

Laocoön was an intriguing character in Greek mythology. He played a small but significant role in the notorious Trojan War, and his memorable contributions to myth were celebrated in this famous Hellenistic statue. Read on to learn more about this legendary figure.

According to ancient authors, Laocoön was a blind Trojan priest of Poseidon (note, however, that some sources claim that he was instead one of Apollo's priests). In mythology, Laocoön was the brother of the hero Anchises and son of Capys. One of our best sources for the story of Laocoön is found in Virgil's Aeneid. In this epic tale, the Roman poet Virgil describes the dramatic scene in which the Trojans discover an enormous Wooden Horse standing outside the city of Troy. The prescient priest Laocoön warns against bringing the gigantic Horse into Troy in a famous speech:

"'O my poor people,
Men of Troy, what madness has come over you?
Can you believe the enemy truly gone?
A gift from the Danaans, and no ruse?
Is that Ulysses' way, as you have known him?
Achaeans must be hiding in this timber,
Or it was built to butt against our walls,
Peer over them into our houses, pelt
The city from the sky. Some crookedness
Is in this thing. Have no faith in the horse!
Whatever it is, even when Greeks bring gifts
I fear them, gifts and all.'"
(Virgil, The Aeneid, Book II, 59-70)

Immediately after saying these words, Virgil has Laocoön hurl his spear into the flank of the Wooden Horse. However, this gesture was to come back to haunt Laocoön. For soon after this incident, while the priest is sacrificing to his god Poseidon, a pair of giant sea serpents emerge from the sea and envelope both Laocoön and his two sons (this tragic scene is immortalized in the Hellenistic image). The Trojans interpret this grotesque punishment as a sign that Laocoön offended the gods - either Athena or Poseidon in particular - for attacking the Wooden Horse. In the end, the Horse is brought into Troy, which is a fatal mistake and seals the city's doom.
 

Lands End, Legion of Honor Master Index

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