ABSTRACT
Whenandhowdidbeautyfirstspringintoexistence? Atwhatmomentinthepasthistoryofourglobe,under whatspecialcircumstancesandconditionsofsocial structureandphysicalenvironment,andinwhatelementaryforms,didthelatentgermofartunfolditselfamid thecoarseinstinctsandelementalpassionsofamind absorbedinthecontemplationorfabricationofmaterial things?Sucharethevariousaspectsoftheonegreat problemoftheoriginsofartandbeauty.Itismanifestlyimpossible,withinthelimitsofrecordedand accessiblepastevents,togiveanabsolutelyprecise historical,chronological,andpsychologicalanswerto thequestionswehaveasked;weshallbeableatmost, whenwehavediscoveredandstudiedallthatsurvives oftheearliestartisticproductions,tohazardaconjecture astothemotiveswhichpromptedtheirconstruction andtodecideforcertainatwhatparticularepochin prehistorybeautyfirstdawnedontheuniverse.
