The Antiquities of Orissa v1.c9.65

v1.c9.65

look for the vigorous life of historical art on such a soil of mystical and speculative confusion. It is only exceptionally that we hear of such works, created as they are in a clearer and purer atmosphere. Yet we must not forbear here to point expressly to the scantiness and unreliable nature of our sources of information. Much as has been said of the splendour and fabulous magnificence of Indian works, the value of most of these reports is but small in a [**52**] critical point of view. We lack, moreover satisfactory drawings, which might compensate for the deficiency of information. For this reason, therefore, any accurate appreciation or historical representation of Indian sculpture has been hitherto impossible. We must, in consequence, limit ourselves entirely to certain general remarks.