AFTER THE ANTIQUE, SECOND HALF 19TH CENTURY

From the time of its dramatic discovery on 14 January 1506 on the property of Felice de'Freddi near Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, virtually in the presence of Michelangelo, the Laocoon has ranked as one of the most celebrated, most admired, and most imitated of all ancient marbles. It was acquired by Pope Julius II soon after its excavation, and moved to the Belvedere, where it has remained - with a Napoleonic interlude in Paris from 1800 to 1815 - ever since.