The Harvest
Court of the Four Seasons



The Court of the Four Seasons, classic in spirit, finished and chaste in
execution, required a perfect harmony of mass, line and feeling in the
sculpture that was to embellish it. It was the further task of the
sculptors and mural painters to give the court its meaning, to
illustrate the idea of the earth's abundance and the fruitful
beneficence of the seasons that is implied in the title of the court.
That they have nobly succeeded in this difficult double achievement is
an actual triumph. "The Harvest," by Albert Jaegers, crowning the
half-dome, is a magnificent bit of architectural sculpture. It seems a
faithful part of the surface it enriches; its outlines are faultlessly
balanced; although its sides are varied, its mass is superbly centered.
The Goddess of the Plentiful Harvest sits in the slope of an overflowing
cornucopia; a sheaf of ripe wheat rests in her supporting arm; she is
attended by a lad who can scarcely lift the weight of fruit he bears.
The group is bound more closely to the half-dome by a graceful garland
applied to the wall-surface Mr. Jaegers has further illustrated the
traditional idea of Harvest Home festivals by the vigorous groups, "The
Feast of Sacrifice," which adorn the huge pylons of this court.



Rain
Court of the Four Seasons