Glossary of Ecclesiastical Ornament and Costume - Compiled From Ancient Authorities and Examples #222815

That Art has its fixed principles, any departure from which leads to inconsistency and unmeaning effect, is a truth never to be lost sight of. And if all Art is subject to fixed laws, which define her province and inform her purpose, least of all is Christian Art to be regarded as exempt from rule, not merely of ecclesiastical precedent, but of philosophical and scientific principle. The conventional forms of ecclesiastical antiquity contain within them certain unchanging elements of character, the ignorance of which precludes the possibility of our either appreciating or imitating the great works of the old Christian artists. To help to illustrate these principles, which are, as it were, the polar star, by which the disciple of the ancient Masters must steer his course, forms the main object of the present volume.