Laocoön and His Sons

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The statue of Laocoön and His Sons, also known as the Laocoön Group, has been one of the most renowned ancient sculptures since its excavation in Rome in 1506 and placement on public display at the Vatican, where it remains to this day. It is highly probable that the same statue was extolled by Pliny the Elder, the prominent Roman art critic, in the highest terms possible. The figures are life-like in size, while the group measures slightly over 2 meters (6 feet 7 inches) in height, depicting Trojan priest Laocoön and his sons Antiphantes and Thymbraeus being attacked by sea serpents. This iconic sculpture has been dubbed "the quintessential embodiment of human anguish" in Western art, distinguishing itself from the agony often depicted in Christian art portraying the Passion of Jesus and martyrs, where suffering is typically accompanied by redemptive power or reward. The agony is vividly conveyed through the contorted facial expressions (Charles Darwin noted that Laocoön's bulging eyebrows are physiologically impossible), which are mirrored by the desperate struggle of the bodies, particularly Laocoön himself, with every part of his body strained to its limit.