Laocoon (1976)
Title
Laocoon (1976)
Original Date:
1826-1827
Facsimile Date:
1976
Publisher:
Trianon Press
Physical Description:
13 plates ; 30 cm.
Background Information:
Though Laocoon is not an illuminated book, the Trianon Press included its reproduction of this late engraving by Blake in a volume with other miscellaneous pieces in a belief that it was appropriate for them “to be placed in their proper relation to Blake's other works." The Laocoon is a single plate, with notes that are believed to have been added late in Blake’s life, but the Trianon edition includes related material of interest as well.
Student Commentary:
Overview: The Laocoon was a famous Hellenistic sculpture that was excavated in Rome in 1506 and later put on display at the Vatican. Historians maintain that the sculpture depicts the priest Laocoon and his two sons, Antiphantes and Thymbraeus, being killed by sea serpents. While there are several theories for why Laocoon and his sons might have been killed, it is hypothesized that it is somehow related to a betrayal of the god Poseidon. William Blake copied a plaster rendition of this famous sculpture and then transferred it onto the page. Surrounding the image he includes various notes about his interpretation of the sculpture. He believed the sculpture to depict Jehovah and his two sons, Adam and Satan. Blake’s commentary that surrounds the human figures touches on many Judeo-Christian and philosophical subjects, but overarching themes include the belief that science is destructive to creativity and that art is imbued with qualities tied to spiritual progress. – Jessica Rosenthal ‘18