Laocoön
c. 1610–1614 · Oil on canvas · National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
📦 Free shipping on every order, arriving in 4–9 business days with production included. Express ($14.90) at checkout arrives in 4–6 business days.
About this work
- Artist
- El Greco (1541–1614)
- Year
- c. 1610–1614
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Original size
- 137.5 × 172.5 cm
- Collection
- National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
- Movement
- Renaissance
The Trojan priest Laocoön lies on his back on dark rocks, struggling with a serpent; one son lies dead beside him and the other, standing, tries to hold another snake at arm's length, while at the right two unclothed figures, probably gods, look on. In the background lies Toledo under a stormy sky, with a horse walking towards the city gate, perhaps an allusion to the Trojan Horse. In Virgil's account Laocoön warned the Trojans against the wooden horse and was killed with his sons by serpents sent by the gods. The famous ancient marble group of the subject, rediscovered in Rome in 1506, was known to El Greco, but his elongated, pale figures depart from it entirely. He painted the canvas in about 1610–1614, at the end of his life; it is his only surviving mythological painting, and parts appear unfinished. Setting it before Toledo may reflect a local tradition that the city was founded by descendants of Trojans. It came to the National Gallery of Art in Washington with the Samuel H. Kress Collection.
This full-bleed edition prints the work edge to edge from a high-resolution scan of the original, very slightly cropped (a few percent at most) to fit the sheet. The gallery edition shows the whole work, uncropped. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
Pale, elongated figures wrestling serpents on dark rocks before Toledo under a churning blue sky, for a study, living room or hallway at 32×24 in black. A slate, charcoal or warm stone wall; it pairs with The Raft of the Medusa.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Renaissance painting
- Era
- 17th century (c. 1610–1614)
- Orientation
- Landscape
- Mood
- grand
- Rooms
- living room, hallway or entryway, study or library, dining room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, art lovers
Size. We'd hang this one at 32×24. Prints at 16×12, 24×18, 32×24 in — 16×12 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 24×18 above a console or sideboard; 32×24 as the statement piece above a sofa or headboard.
Framing. Printed edge to edge: a slim black or natural wood frame right to the image, or let the canvas wrap do the framing. Also available gallery-wrapped on canvas, ready to hang with no frame.
Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole painting, or a crop?
Is Laocoön in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was Laocoön painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
An exhibition poster
The same artwork as a gallery exhibition poster — title, artist & date typeset beneath the image on a soft ground.
A fine-art print
The same artwork as a clean fine-art print — the image shown large with a minimal caption.
