LACOON AND HIS SONS
THE VATICAN MUSEUM
IMAGE NUMBER 1013C
The statue of Laocoön and His Sons has been one of the most famous ancient sculptures since it was excavated in Rome in 1506 and placed on public display in the Vatican, where it remains. In fact it was the foundation of the Vatican collection and all that has followed. It is very likely the same statue praised in the highest terms by the main Roman writer on art, Pliny the Elder. The figures are near life-size and the group is a little over 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in height, showing the Trojan priest Laocoön and his sons Antiphantes and Thymbraeus being attacked by sea serpents.
TECHNICAL NOTES
The image was taken with a hand-held Phase One 645XF Camera at ISO 400. Exposure of 1/125th of a second and an aperture of f5. Schneider Kreuznach 45 mm lens with leaf shutter. The image was captured on a Phase One IQ3 100 megapixel digital back.