The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-20
THE 0 U
Account or the recent Restoration Made
by DR.. Ludwig POIlAk.

W ~ AhANN9
Translated for hc Scrip from he ZeitsehrTt
far BildeRde KuRSt.
A fortunate discovery made a few weeks
ago in Rome by a German arch@ologist
turns our attention anew TO an interesting
problem which has long awaited an authentic
solution: the problem OF the position OF the
right arm Of the principal figure in the world
famous LAoko0n group.
This master work Of ancient art. once char
acterized by Leasing as the highest expression
OF Greek genius. was constructed according
TO Pliny by three sculptors OF Rhodes; Age
sandTos. Polydoros and AthenOdoros, prob
ably In the last century before Christ when
the Rhodes school Of art hourished. From
Rhodes the group, which represents the
familiar Laoko6n episode in Virgil's "Eneid,-
was brought to Rome. still in ancient times.
and placed In the Therm@ OF Titus. At the
fall Of Rome IL was buried with countless
other works Of art. and remained hidden In
the earth for hundreds of years.
When. in the year 1909. 1t was discovered.
bought by Pope Julius ii. and set up In the
Vatican, the work was badly mutilated;
that Is to say. 10 lacked the right arm Of Lao
ko0n. the right arm of the boy on L0oko0n's
right side and the right hand OF the boy on
his left. Many artists and art oonnoisaeurs
busted themselves with the completion OF the
grand sculpture. and thus In the course OF
time appeared divers methods Of reoonstruc-
ton, only a few Of which even approached the
correct method. The great arm attributed to
Giovanni Montorsoli. the rough model for
which lies in the "Gabinetto del Laocoonte'
In the Vatican Museum. Is certainly OF erro-
neous design. as is also the restored arm still
20 be seen CT the original. People generally
suppose this 10 be the work OF that same
Montorsoli under Clement VIII, while others
point to a Partisan sculptor who Is not ex-
actly identified. The group, with many other
masterpieces Of ancient art. vas transported
to Paris by Napoleon /. Later. however. at
the intercession OF Antonio Canova. 1t was
brought back to Rome.
Now, at the house OF a little Roman stone-
cutter. among all sorts Of odds and ends OF
marble, DR.. Ludwig Pollak has found the
fragment Of an arm, which has enabled him
to propose an excellent and reasonable re-
construction OF the Laokoon. His general
idea corroborates the opinion OF the work
that hitherto has prevailed. for archeologists
long have held that the fathers arm ought
not to be so stInay extended upward as it Is
shown in the hitherto existing restoration OF
the Vatican statue. Even while the group
was still In Paris, Oh. Petit Radel expressed
the opinion that Laokoon's arm must turn
backward in the attitude OF grasping the
back OF the head. c. Prien ("The Laoko0n
Group: A Work Of the Rhodian SChool') ex-
planned the broken locks on the head in this
| way l. g. Una JUST nEI NNsNNu u AlkhN h1ilN
or a uniting prop, which was broken on at
the time of the damage. When DR.. Pollak
saw the fragment, he thought Immediately
that IL must be the right arm OF a Laokoon.
obtained possession Of it and presented 1t to
the management Of the Vatican Museum.
The arm Ia made Of coarse grained Parian
marble: the hand Is lacking. and in ancient
times the arm was broken into two pieces,
which were fastened together again. At the
time OF the break the snake also was dam
aged. hut one still can trace its windings on
the injured places, and the snakes body pre-
sents the same strikinRly smooth surface as
that of the snake in the group. Apparently
here. also, the scales were done in color. The
group is Of "grechetto." the fragment. az
have said, Of Parian marble. This difference
pTecludcs the possibility that the fragment
might he part Of the Vatican original. More
over, there IL the difference In the workman
ship. which in the marble fragment Is very
summary and merely indicates the general
conception. DR.. Pollak regards the arm
discovered nv him as the remnant Of a for
mer copy. unfortunately lost. which was
about a ninth smaller than the original. This
piece Of the Copy IL valuable now because II
makes possible the reconstruction Of the
original. For this purpose, by means OF a
cast Of the arm and a diagram OF LAoko6n's
back, and with the assistance OF a hv-
Ing model, DR.. Pollak had made a drawing
in which il Is apparent that the body OF
the snake. coiling itself from the back
forward. surrounds the beginning of the
deltoId muscle; then. winding itself entirely
around the forearm. turns backward; and,
coming forward again. firmly binds the wrist,
How the snakes tail ends no longer can be
affirmed with certainty, since the hand Is
missing. Probably the snake ended close Ia
the hand: or. as is still more likely. and IL
assumed in the drawing. the hand itself
firmly grasped the tail.
Pollak's restoration has much to recon-
meud il: the group gains In simplicity and
unity, and therefore In effectiveness, dignity
and grandeur.