Page:Picturesque Nepal.djvu/212

 powerfully dramatic, to depict to the masses the Good and the Bad in its most graphic and forceful interpretation, so that the Nepalese artist either elevates the observer by the transcendental nature of his celestial conceptions, or terrorizes him into docility by his suggestions of purgatory. It is an art, therefore, as far as the people themselves are concerned, which inspires awe and veneration more than pleasure, and is worshipped rather than admired.

From the point of view of the æsthetic, Nepal was until a few years ago a terra incognita, and even now, although specimens of Newar handiwork have filtered down through the devious mountain passes from Katmandu, little is known of its general character. The examples alluded to are usually sacerdotal utensils of brass, or temple accessories, to be seen in private collections or in museums, which, removed from the religious edifices they are devised to serve, dethroned as it were from Olympus, have lost much of their sentiment and prestige, and, instead of being regarded with fear and reverence, have degenerated into