Laocoön
Jean de Gourmont
1520/30
Medium
Engraving on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 10.6 × 15.3 cm (4 3/16 × 6 1/16 in.); Sheet: 10.7 × 15.4 cm (4 1/4 × 6 1/8 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
4439
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Typical of Gourmont' s oeuvre, this print features small figures dwarfed by landscape and architecture. In this scene, Gourmont imagines Troy and the altar of Neptune where Laocoon and his sons were attacked by huge writhing snakes. The artist's characteristic imprint can be seen on the stone behind the burning pyre.