Nicolas Poussin, Et In Arcadia Ego (Louvre, Paris)

Poussin’s enigmatic image of ancient Greek shepherds gathered around a tomb inscribed with the words Et In Arcadia Ego – “Even in Arcadia I exist” – has given rise to more preposterous hypotheses than any other work of art. Crowning them all are the efforts British researchers Henry Lincoln, Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, who claimed the painting held the secret to hidden treasure in the south of France, where Jesus lived in wedded bliss with Mary Magdelene, siring the Merovingian kings of France. Rather than treasure, this magnificent nonsense led to an unsuccessful plagiarism suit against the grand master of art hokum, Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown.