Monument at Shugborough Hall near Lichfield,
Warwickshire.
The building of this monument was commissioned by
Admiral Lord Anson in the 18th century. It depicts a reversed copy
of Nicolas Poussin's 'Les Bergers d'Arcadie' with some differences
(discussed below). It shows three shepherds and a shepherdess in
Virgil's Arcadia musing over the phrase ET IN ARCADIA EGO - I
(death) am also in Arcadia.
Underneath the monument is this sequence of letters
O•U•O•S•V•A•V•V
D• M•
A possible solution to this is:
DEI OCCULTAT URBI ORDO SIONIS VISITABIT ASPORTATE
VOS VOBISCUM MEA
*
"The secrets of God are in this country the Order of Sion will
certainly come to your aid"
THE DESIGNER WAS THOMAS WRIGHT WHO ALSO DID THIS IN THE NEARBY HODNET
CHURCH.
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT
Matthew, Mark, Luke and erm! John (complete with chalice)
