Shepherds of Arcadia

Nicolas Poussin depicted shepherds in the idyllic land of Arcadia discovering a tomb with the inscription "Et in Arcadia Ego" (Even in Arcadia, I am). Death intrudes even in paradise. The figures contemplate mortality with classical restraint and philosophical calm, embodying Baroque classicism.

Poussin painted multiple versions of this subject, which became one of art history's most famous meditations on death. The Arcadian landscape represents an idealized pastoral world. This version hangs at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire; the more famous version is at the Louvre.