“Laocoön and His Sons” is one of the most influential sculptures in art history. A masterpiece of the Hellenistic Era (dating to approximately the first century C.E.), “Laocoön and His Sons” is renowned for its dynamism and expressivity. Laocoön was a mythical Trojan priest who tried to warn the Trojans of the Greeks’ ingenious ploy (the legendary Trojan Horse) during the Trojan War. The gods, firmly on the side of the Greeks, sent giant serpents to silence and kill Laocoön before he could expose the Greeks’ ruse. “Laocoön and His Sons” captures Laocoön’s gruesome fate in extraordinary detail; the tormented expressions, writhing bodies, and sinuous serpents are a feast for the eyes. Sculpted by Athanadoros, Hagesandros, and Polydoros of Rhodes, “Laocoön and His Sons” is one of the finest works of ancient sculpture on display in the Vatican Museums in Rome, Italy.