holmes.] DEVELOPMENT OF ORNAMENT THROUGH TECHNIQUE. 465 



utensils and weapons, or upon skins, bark, and rock surfaces. Is it 

 probable that with his free hand directed by the eye alone he will be 

 able to achieve these rythmic geometric forms. It seems to me that 

 the whole tendency is in the opposite direction. I venture to surmise 

 that if there had been no other resources than those named above 

 the typical rectilinear fret would never have been known, at least to 

 tbe primitive world; for, notwithstanding the contrary statement by 

 Professor Hartt, the fret is in its more highly developed forms extremely 



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Fig. 489. — Theoretical development of scroll work. 



difficult to follow with the eye and to delineate with the hand. Until 

 arts, geometric in their construction, arose to create and to combine 

 mechanically the necessary elements and motives, and lead the way by 

 a long series of object-lessons to ideas of geometric combination, our 

 typical border ornament would not be possible. Such arts are the tex- 

 tile arts and architecture. These brought into existence forms and 

 ideas not met with in nature and not primarily thought of by man, 

 and combined them in defiance of human conceptions of grace. Geo- 

 metric ornament is the offspring of technique. 

 4 eth 30 



