In this art, owing to its necessary limitations, the representation of nature in its broader sense is impossible.

For in the first place, whatever the subject, it must be such as it is possible to present in one continuous piece; disconnected adjuncts, as, for instance, a flock of birds flying, which might be introduced with great effect in painting, being here practically beyond the artist's reach.
Secondly, the material being of uniform appearance, as a rule, color, or even shading, vital points in landscape portrayal, is out of the question, unless the piece were subsequently painted, as in Grecian sculptures, a custom which is not practised in China or Japan.

Lastly, another fact fatal to the representation of landscape is the size.

The reduced scale of the reproduction suggests falsity at once, a falsity whose belittlement the mind can neither forget nor forgive.

Plain sculpture is therefore practically limited to statuary, either of men or animals.