The Fountain of Ceres is in the north extension of the court, between
the Palace of Food Products and the Palace of Agriculture. The
surmounting figure is of Ceres, Greek goddess of the fields and
especially of corn. The bas-relief frieze represents a group of dancers,
suggestive of the seasonal festivals of the Greeks. The main figure has
been much criticized, but an unbiased critic may find much in the
fountain to praise. The pedestal and the crowning figure are well
thought out, and the proportions of the whole are good; and there is a
feeling of classic simplicity throughout. The frieze of dancing girls,
too, is exceptionally graceful. If, then, one discovers that Ceres is
more mature than a goddess ever ought to be, or that her face suggests
that of an exasperated school-teacher, or if one finds the cornstalk in
her hand a realistic thing incompatible with any poetic conception, it
is well to step back until one gets only the general effect. For there
is much to admire in the poise of the figure, in the decorative outline,
and in the sculptor's lightness of touch. The fountain was designed by
Evelyn Beatrice Longman.
Minor Sculptures. On the archways at east and west of the court a
high-relief figure by August Jaegers is repeated eight times, and the
spandrels over the arches are by the same artist.
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