352 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1896. 



are now in possession of all the information at present obtainable. 

 Much more might be said of the man of the Paleolithic period in rela- 

 tion to his industry, his technology, i)0ssibly his sociology^ but on the 

 subject of his art and art work it is believed that the present paper will 

 be found exhaustive. It furnishes the foundation upon which theory 

 and speculation may be built ad libitum, but it is believed that the 

 foundation is laid as broadly and as deeply as it can be in the present 

 condition of the world's knowledge. What future discoveries may 

 bring forth no one may venture to prophesy. 



It is believed that these objects come within Sir John Collier's deti- 

 nitiou. They were something to please the eye of the man who made 

 them, and for this reason, and api)arently only this, he made most of 

 them. What should have pleased him is (still quoting Sir John Collier) 

 "what each person must decide for himself," and this man of the 

 Paleolithic period appears to have decided that question in favor of 

 these objects, and in accordance with that canon of liis art he made the 

 objects herein to be set forth. 



Other aspects of art have been studied and written about by artists 

 and historians from time immemorial. Their consideration opens a field 

 for discussion into which we may not enter. We must content our- 

 selves with this, which appears to be the very beginning of art. 



The craving for decorative art and the desire for things beautiful are 

 the common heritage of mankind. Former writei s have speculated upon 

 the origin of this craving and have believed it to be contemporaneous 

 with the origin of art, and that they have declared to be as impossible 

 of discovery as the origin of the attraction of gravitation. In this they 

 have deceived themselves and have overstated the case, for it is respect- 

 fully submitted that in the following chapters the author has shown the 

 beginnings of art, its earliest specimens, and by related specimens 

 from the earliest people and their descendants confined to a single 

 locality, given a comprehensive exhibition of the objects made, and 

 the styles employed for their decoration; and tliis carries us back 

 practically to the origin of art. No art objects earlier than these 

 described here are known to have existed in any part of the world. 



Professor Haddon ^ speaks of the needs of man which have con- 

 strained him to an artistic etfort, and which he groups under the four 

 terms ot art, information, wealth, and religion. yEsthetic art he 

 defines to be the study or practice of art for art's sake, the pleasure 

 of form, line, and color. Omitting color, it is believed that the illus- 

 trations of prehistoric art shown in this paper come fairly within this 

 definition. The objects figured and described show art work done for 

 art's sake, to the end that the maker may obtain sensuous pleasure 

 from form and line. Not only is it this, but it appears to be nothing 

 else. All other terms of the group may bo omitted so far as concerns 

 the art work of this epoch. Man did not do this work for the sake of 



1 Evolution of Art, p. 4. 



