ABSTRACT
IT has been maintained that Christianity put an end to ancient art; to a certain extent this judgment is justifiable. Christianity, and also Islam, in imitation of their parent Judaism, are essentially opposed to that which makes the charm and beauty of ancient art, the plastic element: “ thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, or in the water under the earth ” (Exodus, xx, 4).
