faint relief after ancient classic designs, suggesting harvest scenes.
The spandrels in the triangles over the curve of the arch and the four
times repeated figures which serve as pilasters in the paneled attic
space above, are by August Jaegers. All are gracefully molded women's
figures, and all alike are emblematic of the richness of the harvest.
The signs of the zodiac letter the cornice between the arches and the
attic. The inscription above the eastern gateway is from Spenser's
"Faerie Queene," and that over the western from "The Triumph of Bohemia"
by George Sterling.

The serenity and intimate seclusion of the Court are due perhaps more
than to any other single feature, to the quiet, circular pool in its
center, shut in by banks of shrubbery and bare of sculptured ornament.



Court of the Four Seasons
One of the Colonnade Murals

The Court is octagonal in shape, by reason of the fountains, screened by
stately rows of columns, which fill its cornet recesses. These corner
fountains are distinctly Roman in inspiration, the detail being
suggested by the baths of Caracalla. Between the double rows of massive
Ionic columns runs the colonnade. The capitals of the columns are
enriched by pendant ears of corn, surmounted by a single open flower.
Above the severely treated doorways, in each recess, are two mural
paintings by Milton Bancroft, picturing alternately the seasonal
pleasures and pastimes and their activities or industries. The murals,
with the two in the half-dome, also by Milton Bancroft, are all
conventionally classic, in keeping with the spirit and atmosphere of the