Et in Arcadia ego (Poussin)

Uncommon card · No. 128683

Et in Arcadia ego (also known as Les bergers d'Arcadie or The Arcadian Shepherds) is a 1637–38 painting by Classical painter Nicolas Poussin. It depicts a pastoral scene with idealized shepherds from classical antiquity, and a woman, possibly a shepherdess, gathered around an austere tomb that includes the Latin inscription "Et in Arcadia ego", which is translated to "Even in Arcadia, there am I"; "Also in Arcadia am I"; or "I too was in Arcadia". Poussin also painted another version of the subject in 1627 under the same title. The 1630s version is held in the Musée du Louvre, Paris, while the 1627 version is held at Chatsworth House, England. An earlier treatment of the theme was painted by Guercino c. 1618–1622, also titled Et in Arcadia ego.

Read on Wikipedia · Image Nicolas Poussin, Public domain