Our investigation concludes by examining the paintings of the “Shepherds of Arcadia”. Our colleagues, Christopher Morford and Corjan Mol, have examined some of these paintings in their research. We’ll further explore how they are related to our Rosicrucian/Masonic group and what they may indicate is hidden on Oak Island.
Guercino, “Et in Arcadia Ego”- Wikimedia Commons
Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, aka Guercino, (1591-1666) was an Italian painter who spent time in Rome working for Popes Gregory XV and Urban VIII. Guercino’s 1618 painting, “The Shepherds of Arcadia”, contains the phrase “Et in Arcadia Ego”, translated as “Even in Arcadia, Am I”. The painting was commissioned by Cosimo II de Medici, The Grand Duke of Tuscany. It represents Virgil’s Eclogue 5, set in Arcadia. It shows a pair of Arcadian shepherds looking at a tomb/monument. The imagery in the painting suggests that the Rosicrucians/Freemasons and Arcadia are linked together. Possibly indicating that Arcadia’s location is Oak Island. This takes on greater meaning when we learn that Cosimo II de Medici and Francis Bacon were close friends, and the Shakespeare Funerary Monument was dedicated about the same time as this painting was completed in 1618.
Flaying of Marsyas, Guercino - Galleria Palatina, Palazzo Pitti, Florence
Guercino painted a companion piece to “The Shepherds of Arcadia” called, “Flaying of Marsyas by Apollo”. This involves the mythological story of a musical competition between the god Apollo and the satyr Marsyas. After picking up the reed instrument discarded by the goddess Athena, Marsyas became so good at playing it, that he challenged Apollo to a musical competition. Apollo won the contest, but Marsyas was cruelly sacrificed for having dared to challenge Apollo. The painting depicts Apollo stepping on Marsyas, who is tied to a tree trunk, and is being flayed alive with two Arcadian shepherds looking on. These are the same two shepherds that appear in the companion painting, “The Shepherds of Arcadia”. That painting has a lighter tone, while this painting has a darker tone.
Braccio Nuovo, Museo Chiaramonti-Vatican Museums- Wikimedia Commons
The mythological story of the “Flaying of Marsyas by Apollo”, over time, came to symbolize tyranny. According to the Roman Historian Tacitus, Rome’s corruption began when Emperor Augustus (63BC-14AD) bribed and took control of the Senate. Augustus ruled unopposed, and the remaining nobility sold out the Republic for bribes. During this time, Augustus was associated with Apollo, the torturer of Marsyas, who symbolized Rome’s citizens. The poet Ovid, who was mysteriously exiled by Augustus, told the story of Marsyas in his “Metamorphoses” and “Fasti”. Ovid's exile from Rome was never fully explained but, Ovid hinted that a "poem and transgression" were factors. Evidence points to Augustus banishing Ovid for the “Flaying of Marsyas” mentionings which would later greatly influence our circle of Rosicrucians/Freemasons.
Nicolas Poussin self-portrait- Wikimedia Commons
Ovid’s “Metamorphoses” and Greek/Roman mythology were big inspirations for the French painter Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665). Poussin started painting in France but relocated to Italy. One of Poussin’s sponsors was Cassiano dal Pozzo, an Italian scholar and patron of the arts. He was the secretary of Cardinal Francesco Barberini, whose uncle was Pope Urban VIII. Guercino had worked for Pope Urban at one time. Dal Pozzo was an antiquary of Ancient Rome. Dal Pozzo was interested in alchemy, and was an associate of Galileo, who was also a friend of Francis Bacon. Dal Pozzo was well connected with the most prominent minds in the Arts and Sciences all over the world at the time. Dal Pozzo and Poussin are suspected of being Rosicrucians/Freemasons.
The Arcadian Shepherds- Wikimedia Commons
In 1627, Poussin painted “The Shepherds of Arcadia”, his first version. It was most likely commissioned by Dal Pozzo and Cardinal Barberini. In the same year, they commissioned Poussin for, “The Death of Germanicus”, who was the Roman general detailed by Tacitus, who we previously mentioned regarding Robert Devereaux, Earl of Essex. Poussin’s Shepherds version has noticeable differences from Guercino’s version, one being a shepherdess being added for the first time. It is unclear why she was included. It should be noted that in Edmund Spenser’s dedication to Mary Sidney Herbert, he writes, “The gentlest shepherdess that lives this day, And most resembling, both in shape and spright, Her brother dear.” (Philip Sidney) Could the shepherdess in the painting be a representation of Mary Sidney Herbert?
Mary Sidney Herbert, Countess of Pembroke engraving by Simon de Passe
Mary Sidney Herbert kept the name Sidney at her brother’s request after she married. Mary adopted the swan for her ‘logo,’ and swans are on a lace that she wore for an engraving in 1618 pictured above. In September 1621, Mary died in London, one month after the printing of the First Folio had begun, which she was coordinating. The next month the printing was stopped. William Herbert, her son, commissioned Ben Jonson to complete it. Jonson officially took over the editing of the plays, overseeing production, and writing a dedication to the author. Evidence suggests that Francis Bacon was secretly involved with this work, and he was very close to Mary Sidney Herbert and Ben Jonson. Jonson lived with Bacon and was thought to be his secretary in November 1623, when the First Folio was published. Was Mary involved with the writing of the works of Shakespeare that comprised a group of Rosicrucians/Freemasons?
Et in Arcadia Ego-Nicolas Poussin- Wikimedia Commons
There is disagreement about when Shepherds of Arcadia II by Poussin was painted. Most dates fall around 1637. The foremost expert on Poussin, Anthony Blunt, put the date around 1655. This is important because the star, P Cygni, in Cygnus, after being invisible since 1626, became illuminated and visible again to the naked eye in 1655. Could this have been the motivation for the second version of the Shepherds of Arcadia? In the painting, The Shepherds point to and touch the letters “R” and “C”. By pointing to the “R” in ARCADIA it may indicate if removed, it would make ACADIA (Canada). If the “R” and “C” are put together, it could represent ROSY CROSS (Rosicrucians). In the first version of the painting from `1627, Poussin has a shepherd pointing at the letter “I”. We believe this was deliberate and for a specific reason.
Tomb of the Rosicrucians, “Auriol or The Elixir of Life” – William Harrison Ainsworth
According to the Rosicrucians, “…(Christian) Rosenkreutz’s burial chamber indeed contained the sum of his wisdom. The biggest surprise, however, was the body of C. R. himself. The Fama tells: ‘Now as yet we had not seen the dead body of our careful and wise father, we ther[e]fore removed the Altar aside, there we lifted up a strong plate of brass, and found a fair and worthy body, whole and unconsumed’. In C. R.’s hand was the parchment variously entitled “I” or “T”, the most important in all the Rosicrucian library, which contained the wisdom of the universe. Now that C. R.’s tomb had been rediscovered, the mission of the society to reform the world could begin again in earnest.”
The Arcadian Shepherds- Wikimedia Commons
Cracking the Shakespeare Code- Petter Amundsen
Grüninger Workshop- Folio leaf with woodcut, Virgil, Ecloga 5, shepherds Menalcas and Mopsus, Daphnis, Flute - 1515
“ET IN ARCADIA EGO”, Even in Arcadia I am. What is “I” referring to? It’s often theorized that the metaphors of “Death” or “God” represent “I”. We just mentioned the Shepherd pointing at the “I” in Poussin’s first “Arcadia” painting. In Part 2 of our series, we discussed how Petter Amundsen found the Celestial/Masonic compass that points to Oak Island. Inside this compass, “I AM” is in the very center. Evidence suggests this was placed there deliberately by Francis Bacon. In Part 5 of our series, we analyzed Virgil’s Eclogue 5, which states “Daphnis ‘AM I’ in woodland, known hence far as the stars”. This evidence points to this literary imagery being re-created by Francis Bacon and his group on Oak Island. Do these references to “I” represent the Parchment that was held sacred by the Rosicrucians? Is there a re-creation of Christian Rosenkrantz’s tomb containing this parchment “I” on Oak Island? If so, who is preserved in mercury inside the tomb? Or perhaps it was not a re-creation? Research is ongoing. The Compendium will share with our readers any updates as they become available.
