Head from Laocoon Group
Medium
Black and white chalk, on blue laid paper
Dimensions
34.8 × 26.5 cm (13 3/4 × 10 7/16 in.)
Classification
chalk
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
15168
Art Historical Context
Visitors to the Art Institute of's Prints and Drawings department delight in *Head from Laocoon Group a captivating study by the Italian Baroque artist Anton Domenico Gabbiani (1652–1726). This undated drawing captures the anguished expression of one of figures from the renowned ancient Hellenistic sculpture *Laocoon His Sons*, unearthed in Rome in 1506. The sculpture, depicting the Trojan priest Laocoon and his sonsined by sea serpents, became an icon of classical antiquity, inspiring generations of artists during the Renaissance and Baroque eras for its dramatic tension and anatomical master...