Laocoön
1540/65
Medium
Engraving in black on pieced, cream laid paper
Dimensions
41.2 × 29.4 cm (16 1/4 × 11 5/8 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
106669
Art Historical Context
Nicolas Beatrizet’s engraving *Laocoön*, created between 1540 and 1565, captures one of antiquity’s most dramatic sculptures—the Trojan priest and his sons struggling against sea serpents. Working in Rome during the height of the Renaissance, Beatrizet specialized in reproductive prints that brought celebrated ancient and contemporary works to a wider European audience. His precise burin work translates the marble group’s twisting forms and intense emotion into crisp black lines on cream laid paper, preserving the sculpture’s dynamic composition for study and admiration. Printmaking technique...