Laocoön Sculpture Group
Laocoön Sculpture Group was commissioned by Odessa businessman and future mayor G. G. Marazli to decorate his villa on French Boulevard. Inspired by the ancient Greek sculpture he saw in the Vatican, he ordered a copy after first being struck by El Greco’s painting "Laocoön." After the October Revolution of 1917, the sculpture was nationalized and moved six times. In 1927 it was installed in a square near the House of Culture of the Army and Navy, where it was often vandalized. In 1969 it was decided to move it to the Archaeological Museum; after being dismantled, it appeared at the new site in 1971, where it remains today, though it still suffers vandalism.
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Identification | |
| Title | Laocoön Sculpture Group |
| Subject | Laocoön and his sons |
| Type | Sculpture group |
Creator | |
| Commissioned by | G. G. Marazli (Grigory Marazli), a prominent Odessa entrepreneur who later became mayor of Odessa |
Historical context | |
| Commission purpose | To decorate his dacha |
| Original dacha location | At the end of French Boulevard in Odessa, on the grounds now occupied by the Odesa Botanical Garden and the Chkalov Sanatorium |
| Inspiration for the commission | Marazli saw El Greco's painting 'Laocoön' while traveling in Europe and was especially impressed by the ancient Greek sculpture 'Laocoön and His Sons' in the Vatican; he also wanted to acquire El Greco's painting |
| Model/source | A copy of the ancient Greek sculpture 'Laocoön and His Sons' |
Discovery and provenance | |
| Nationalization | After the October Revolution of 1917, the sculpture group was nationalized along with other immovable property |
| Number of relocations | Six |
History and restoration | |
| Decision to move to museum | In 1969, at the suggestion of Chernyakov I. T., it was decided to move the sculpture to the Archaeological Museum |
| Current status | Installed there in 1971 and remains there to the present |
| Removal date | Dismantled in 1969 |
| Press report | In 1924, the evening edition of Odeski visti reported that Laocoön would be installed on Feldman Boulevard |
| Vandalism | It was often vandalized at the new location and continues to be a target of vandals |
| Contemporary reaction to new site | The press joked that at the new site Laocoön would suffer not only from snakes but also from dirt |
| Urban decoration proposal | In the mid-1920s, city architects M. V. Zamechek and M. F. Bezchastnov proposed decorating city squares and parks with sculptures confiscated from former trading-aristocratic elites, including 'Cupid and Psyche' in Palais-Royal and 'Lion' and 'Lioness' in the City Garden |
Location and ownership | |
| Installation in 1927 | Installed in a square near the House of Culture of the Army and Navy, at the intersection of Preobrazhenska and Spyridonivska streets |
| Current location | Near the Archaeological Museum |
Other | |
| Public proposal for display | The public proposed placing the marble original inside the archaeological museum and displaying a copy outdoors made of plaster or modern polymers |
Materials | |
| Material of proposed original display | Marble |
| Material of proposed outdoor copy | Plaster or modern polymers |