\n\tThe 1506 rediscovery of the ancient sculptural group Laocoön in a Roman vineyard caused a sensation. Depicting a Trojan priest and his sons strangled by serpents sent by the gods, the sculpture had been lavishly praised by the ancient author Pliny the Elder (23/24–79 CE) in his Natural History. Following its excavation, Pope Julius II (r. 1503–13) acquired and exhibited the Laocoön in the Vatican, where it still stands today. Revered for its intensity\n\t\n\tof emotional expression, the Laocoön became one of the most studied works of ancient art. It was copied countless times in a wide range of media, including this smaller-scale terracotta sculpture.\n
","remarks":"EUR-PP_02-05_CLA-Day 1 Cataloguing "},{"texttype":"Online","textpurpose":"Provenance","textentryhtml":"\n\n\tColl. Ludwig Pollak, Rome, probably after 1914.\n
\n\n\tAdolph Loewy, Los Angeles.\n
\n\n\tPurchased by the Museum from the above with the gift of Elias ‘20 and Frances Ehrlich Wolf.\n
\n","remarks":"By Alexandra Germer"}],"media":[{"id":206483,"uri":"https://media.artmuseum.princeton.edu/iiif/3/collection/PUAMSTU2016_42912","isprimary":1,"rank":1,"mediatypeid":1,"mediaviewtype":"(not assigned)","restrictions":null,"caption":"PUAM photo"},{"id":206484,"uri":"https://media.artmuseum.princeton.edu/iiif/3/collection/PUAMSTU2016_42921","isprimary":0,"rank":2,"mediatypeid":1,"mediaviewtype":"(not assigned)","restrictions":null,"caption":"PUAM photo"}],"hasimage":"true","bibliography":[{"boilertext":"John Rupert Martin, \"Two terra-cotta replicas of the Laocoon Group\", Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University 27, no. 2 (1968): p. 68-71.","citation":"John Rupert Martin, \"Two terra-cotta replicas of the Laocoon Group\", Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University 27, no. 2 (1968): p. 68-71., p. 68-71 (illus.)","date":1968,"id":3864,"uri":"https://www.jstor.org/stable/3774488"},{"boilertext":"Matthias Winner, \"Zum nachleben des Laokoon in der Renaissance\", Jahrbuch der Berliner Museen 16 (1974): p. 83-121.","citation":"Matthias Winner, \"Zum nachleben des Laokoon in der Renaissance\", Jahrbuch der Berliner Museen 16 (1974): p. 83-121., p. 83-121; note 81","date":1974,"id":3869,"uri":"https://www.jstor.org/stable/4125704"}],"exhibitions":[],"geography":[{"displaygeography":"Place made: Europe, Italy","code":"Place made","continent":"Europe","subcontinent":null,"country":"Italy","region":null,"state":null,"city":null,"county":null,"subregion":null,"locale":null,"locus":null,"river":null,"excavation":null,"geoname":null,"location":{"lat":"","lon":""}}],"terms":[{"id":2054791,"term":"sculpture","aatid":300047090,"termtype":"Classification"},{"id":2031625,"term":"Italian","aatid":300111198,"termtype":"Culture"},{"id":2055657,"term":"figures (representations)","aatid":300189808,"termtype":"Subject"},{"id":2171348,"term":"Greek mythology","aatid":null,"termtype":"Subject"},{"id":2171354,"term":"Roman mythology","aatid":null,"termtype":"Subject"},{"id":2099921,"term":"suffering","aatid":300055184,"termtype":"Subject"},{"id":2158076,"term":"snakes","aatid":null,"termtype":"Subject"},{"id":2055672,"term":"nudes","aatid":300189568,"termtype":"Subject"},{"id":2088270,"term":"men","aatid":300025928,"termtype":"Subject"},{"id":2160936,"term":"terracotta","aatid":300010669,"termtype":"Materials"}],"classifications":[{"id":2054791,"classification":"sculpture"}],"cultures":[{"id":13456,"culture":"Italian","alphasort":"Italian","begindate":0,"enddate":0,"displayculture":"Italian","displaydate":null}],"cultureterms":[{"id":2031625,"culture":"Italian"}],"periods":[],"periodterms":[],"attribute_groups":[{"id":2199321,"term":"European Art","termtype":"Collecting Area"},{"id":2199338,"term":"Nazi-era gaps","termtype":"Provenance & Cultural Heritage"}],"dimensionelements":[{"element":"Overall","type":"Height","units":"centimeters","dimension":"37.20"},{"element":"Overall","type":"Width","units":"centimeters","dimension":"20.50"},{"element":"Overall","type":"Height","units":"centimeters","dimension":"68.00"},{"element":"Overall","type":"Width","units":"centimeters","dimension":"49.00"},{"element":"Overall","type":"Depth","units":"centimeters","dimension":"28.00"}],"packages":[{"packageid":210962,"name":"Z_JS European On View 10 years"},{"packageid":246533,"name":"EPS Provenance Nazi-era gaps"},{"packageid":278831,"name":"10282025-DAY1-ONVIEW"},{"packageid":276252,"name":"Nazi Era Sept 2025 list for web"},{"packageid":210960,"name":"Z_JS European Anchors"},{"packageid":207234,"name":"SAB_Gala2021"},{"packageid":225374,"name":"Gallery_02-05(Pavilion1)-European [3]"}],"primaryimage":["https://media.artmuseum.princeton.edu/iiif/3/collection/PUAMSTU2016_42912"],"displaymaker":"Artist unidentified","displayculture":"Italian","displayperiod":null,"caption":"Artist unidentified, Italian, Laocoön, 16th–17th century. Terracotta; 68 × 49 × 28 cm, 37.2 x 20.5 cm (plinth). Museum purchase, gift of Elias Wolf, Class of 1920, and Mrs. Wolf (y1968-118)","captionhtml":"Artist unidentified, Italian, Laocoön, 16th–17th century. Terracotta; 68 × 49 × 28 cm, 37.2 x 20.5 cm (plinth). Museum purchase, gift of Elias Wolf, Class of 1920, and Mrs. Wolf (y1968-118)","published_date":"2026-02-11 10:22:13.712299","campusart":[{"campuscollections":"false","campusart":0,"neighborhood":null,"lat":null,"lon":null}],"extended_content":false}