With this title, Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665) painted two pastoral paintings depicting idealised shepherds from classical antiquity, surrounding an austere tomb. This is the second and most famous version.

The phrase is a memento mori: "Et in Arcadia ego" translates literally as "I too in Arcadia (am)", or "even in Arcadia (am) I"; it could be interpreted as "I, death, reign even in Arcadia'".

However, Poussin's biographer Andre Felibien interprets it to mean that "the person buried in this tomb has lived in Arcadia"; in other words, that they too once enjoyed the pleasures of life on earth. The correct interpretation is usually considered to be the former. Either way, the sentiment was intended to establish an ironic contrast by representing the shadow of death over the usual entertainment and joy that the nymphs and other inhabitants of Arcadia were supposed to enjoy. Traditionally, it is considered a symbol of the expiration of life, even in its most idyllic moments.