Why it matters
Two young shepherds stare at a skull on a stone inscribed 'Et in Arcadia ego': a warning that even in paradise, death is present. It is the first time the phrase appears in art.
Did you know?
- It was painted around 1618–1622.
- A mouse and a blowfly sit on the skull.
- Poussin painted the same theme twice, less than two decades later.
Based on the Wikipedia article Et in Arcadia ego (Guercino) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
