Fire and Water. Thus the first state is indicated.

The second stage is symbolized by the decorative motifs employed on the
arcade surrounding the court, where on piers, arches, reeds and columns,
in marvelously wrought sculptural ornament, is shown the transition from
plant to animal life through kelp, crab, lobster and other sea animals
and shell motifs.

--M. W. R.



Court of Ages
The Garden of Hyacinths

Following the symbolism of the Court of Ages through the first nebulous
period of the world's growth, through the second, which shows the
transition in successive forms of sea-plant life, the third period is
reached where are illustrated the earliest forms of human, animal,
reptile and bird life prevailing in the stone age. This age is
indicated, in the court, by the prehistoric figure surmounting the piers
of the arcade and by the first sculptured group over the entrance to the
tower. The repeated arcade figures, which were designed by Albert
Weinert, represent alternately Primitive Man and Primitive Woman.

The perfection of the landscape planting and the skill with which it
subtly accentuates the meaning of architecture and sculpture are worthy
of study. In the background, close against the piers of the arcade,
tall, slender Italian cypresses emphasize their rhythmic length of line.
Amid a growth of tropical luxuriance stand glossy-leafed orange trees