Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0008780, Tue, 21 Oct 2003 08:53:26 -0700

Subject
Re: Background on PALE FIRE's "Et in Arcadia Ego" (fwd)
Date
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---------- Forwarded Message ----------
Date: Tuesday, October 21, 2003 9:12 AM +0200
From: "Dieter E. Zimmer" <mail@d-e-zimmer.de>
To: Vladimir Nabokov Forum <NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU>
Subject: Re: Background on PALE FIRE's "Et in Arcadia Ego"


Based on Panofsky, one of my dictionaries of quotations claims that the
first one to use the phrase "Et in Arcadia ego" was not Poussin (1594-1665)
but the Parma painter Bartolomeo Schidone or Schedoni (1559?-1615). He thus
incribed a human skull lying on the ground and pensively contemplated by
two young "shepherds". Later, the phrase became a standard topos in
eighteenth century German poetry, and probably in other European languages
as well. The painting is at the Palazzo Sciarry-Colonna in Rome.
Dieter E. Zimmer
Berlin, October 21, 2003 -- 9am




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D. Barton Johnson
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