Annotations
Laocoon hurls a spear at the wooden horse standing in the foreground; the site of Troy is full of warriors.
Laokoon schleudert eine Lanze auf das im Vordergrund stehende Hölzerne Pferd; das Gelände vor Troja ist voller Krieger. (Suerbaum)
Engraving from a German children’s picture-book version of the Aeneid by G. J. Lang and G. C. Eimmart, “A tapestry of Roman virtues as seen in Vergil’s Aeneas and his brave deeds, rendered in sparkling engravings, as illustrations of the remarkable deeds of antiquity, for the common benefit of noble youth,” (Peplus virtutum Romanarum in Aenea Virgiliano eiusque rebus fortiter gestis, ad maiorem antiquitatis et rerum lucem, communi iuventutis sacratae bono, aere renitens) (Nuremburg: J.L. Buggel, 1688), pl. 7.
This engraving depicts the pivotal moment of the Trojan War. The famous Trojan Horse stands in the shadows in the foreground, the planks of wood and bolts plainly visible. Next to it sit four soldiers beneath a tree, probably discussing the horse. In the very center of the picture Laocoon rushes forward brandishing his spear, but conspicuously alone in his attack. Troy stands in the background, with tiny figures clustered around the battlements looking out towards the horse. (Lucy McInerney)