In both cases the idea
of abundance or fruitfulness again supplies the motive. The boxes at the
bases of the columns on which "Rain" and "Sunshine" stand are decorated
with agricultural scenes in low relief. The capitals at the tops of
these columns are enriched with groups of agricultural figures. Within
the archways at east and west the ceilings are decorated with delicate
bas-relief designs, patterned after the famous ones at Villa Maderna,
Rome.
Mural Paintings
All the murals in the Court of the Four Seasons are by H. Milton
Bancroft. In general they are less interesting than those of any other
court.
The Seasons. In the four corners of the colonnade there are eight
panels, grouped by twos as follows: Spring and Seed Time; Summer and
Fruition; Autumn and Harvest; and Winter and Festivity. There is little
to hold the attention either in richness of color or in unusual grace of
composition. Moreover, the artist has left nothing to the imagination in
the symbolism by which he expresses the several ideas. The devices are
so hackneyed, and the meaning so obvious, that any sort of
interpretation would be entirely superfluous.
Panels under half-dome. On the east wall under the dome is the panel Art
Crowned by Time. Father Time crowns Art, while on one side stand figures
representing Weaving, Jewelry, and Glasswork, and on the other Printing,
Pottery, and Smithery.
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