Giovanni Domenico Campiglia’s etching, “Laocoon”, 1717

Giovanni Domenico Campiglia (1692–1768)

“Laocoon” (as titled on the untrimmed plate), 1717, after the famous Hellenistic Greek sculpture group, “Laocoön and His Sons”, discovered in 1506. This engraving is an illustration to Michele Mercati’s (1541–1593) (aka Michaelis Mercati; Michael Mercatus); “Samminiatensis Metallotheca”, published by Mariae Salvioni (aka Appresso Giovanni Maria Salvioni) in 1717 for the Vatican, plate III in chapter 10, “Marmora” (marble), p. 356.

This book may be viewed online or downloaded free-of-charge from archive.org:

https://archive.org/details/MichaelisMercatiSamminiatensisMetallothecaOpusPosthumumAuctoritate/page/n435/mode/2up.

Etching and engraving on laid paper trimmed to the image borderline and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 26.9 x 19.2 cm.

Condition: strong and well-printed impression, trimmed to the image borderline with loss of the writing edge and a replenished hole at upper left. The sheet is laid upon a support of archival (millennium quality) washi paper.

I am selling this historically significant depiction of the sculpture group, “Laocoön and His Sons”, showing the c.1570 (incorrect) restoration of Laocoön’s outstretched arm before it was later removed in the 1980s, for AU$233 in total (currently US$152.27/EUR137.66/GBP118.72 at the time of this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world (but not, of course, any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries).

If you are interested in purchasing this early study of the Laocoon group—note how the artist has created tonal transitions in the modelling of the figures from black dotes in the lit areas to white dots in the shadows and the juxtaposition of visually calm horizontal lines of the background with animated contour strokes rendering the figures—please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

This print has been sold