Bronze group Laocoonte and his sons

Bronze sculpture representing Laooconte and his sons on a green marble base.
The sculpture is signed by Chiapparelli.
Laocoon was a Trojan priest. In the Iliad, Homer relates that he tried to prevent the Trojan horse from entering the city walls. However, Athena, who sided with the Greeks, sent sea serpents to crush him and his children. The statue, one of the finest examples of classical sculpture, represents precisely the moment when the family tries to break free from the deadly grip of animals.