Message #25658

[Danielle Gorree]

"Et in Arcadia ego" is a Latin phrase that most famously appears as the title of two paintings by Nicolas Poussin (1594–1665). They are pastoral paintings depicting idealized shepherds from classical antiquity, clustering around an austere tomb. The more famous second version of the subject, measuring 122 by 85 centimetres (72.8 x 47.6 in), is in the Louvre, Paris, and also goes under the name "Les bergers d'Arcadie" ("The Arcadian Shepherds"). It has been highly influential in the history of art and more recently has been associated with the alternate history of the Priory of Sion popularised in the books Holy Blood, Holy Grail and The Da Vinci Code. This painting will be on temporary display through September 2, 2007 at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia, as part of the Louvre Atlanta exhibition.