Engraving in the Marble Bass Relief of the ‘Shepherds Monument‘ at Shugborough Hall, Staffordshire, England

The monument was commissioned in 1748 by Admiral George 1st Baron Anson. The engraving, is in fact, an inverted copy of Nicolas Poussin’s Les Bergers d’Arcadie, with an additional tomb depicted. The work was executed by Flemish sculptor Peter Scheemaker, well-known from his sculpture of William Shakespeare in Westminster Abbey (1740)

At the bottom of the Shugborough monument a code is visible:

, , ,  O•U•O•S•V•A•V•V
D•, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,  M•

According to this book by Stuart Nettleton it is based on a Genesis 50:25 which deals with the death of Joseph in Egypt. For reasons explained in his book the middle sequence needs to be inversed: D.V.V.A.V.S.O.U.O.M which stands for

Deus Visitabit Vos Asportate Vobiscum Sancta Ossa Upilio Occulto Maneo

or

God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry away the shepherd’s holy bones to remain concealed.

Shepherds Monument on Google Maps

,©2007-2009 rlcresearch.com, all rights reserved

Posted: 11|11|07 at 16:40
Category: Monuments
Tags: poussin | shepherds of arcadia | shugborough
Related posts: Monument des Droits | Portrait of Lady Anson | George Anson | Tomb Nicolas Poussin |
New here? Stay informed via RSS
Comment | Trackback