Laocoön, rare neoclassical bronze at auction in London

The original masterpiece, identified already in the 16th century as one of the greatest expressions of ancient sculpture and described by Pliny the Elder as a work “worthy of the greatest admiration”, had an immediate impact on Renaissance artists. Among these, Michelangelo, present at the time of the discovery together with Giuliano da Sangallo, defined it as a “singular miracle of art”, recognizing its exceptional expressive power. The mythological scene depicted – taken from Virgil’s Aeneid – shows the Trojan priest Laocoön and his sons crushed by sea serpents sent by the gods, in a representation of physical pain and dramatic tension considered among the most powerful in ancient art.

Over the centuries the marble group has been widely replicated and studied. In particular, between the end of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the nineteenth century, following his stay in Paris during the Napoleonic campaigns, monumental reproductions in bronze were developed. The work of Auguste-Jean Marie Carbonneaux (1789-1843), author of the so-called Hamilton Laocoön, one of the very few life-size bronzes of the subject, fits into this context. The work, created with innovative casting techniques for the time, is considered one of the highest expressions of sculptural neoclassicism. Commissioned in the early 19th century and passed through some of Britain’s most important aristocratic collections, including those of William Beckford and the Duke of Hamilton, the bronze remained off the market for almost 150 years. (by Paolo Martini)