In architecture, the Court, which was designed by Henry Bacon of New York, is almost severely classic, enriched in its minor details by touches of the Italian Renaissance. The Half Dome, which lies directly opposite the long northern approach, is modeled after Hadrian's villa near Rome. The decoration of the vault of the dome is influenced by the richer coloring of the Court of Palms into which it opens on its inner side, while the archway softens into lighter tones in harmony with the more delicate coloring of the Court of the Four Seasons.

The fine balance of line and proportion which characterizes the Court is shown in the three sculptured figures by Albert Jaegers,—"Harvest," the seated figure which fitly crowns the half dome, blending finely with its nobility and strength of outline, and "Rain" and "Sunshine," which surmount the splendid columns of Sienna marble on either side of the dome.

Court of the Four Seasons
The Western Archway

The east and west entrances to the Court are massive archways, most satisfying in their purity and dignity of architectural form and treatment, as well as in the superb outlook which they give on either hand. The arches are divided by Corinthian pilasters of Sienna marble. Within, their vaulted ceilings are delicately colored and modeled in 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 Court.

Within the sheltered niches are the fountains of the four seasons, where the water, rose-tinted by day and a luminous green by night, slips softly and musically over three broadening semicircular terraces to the cool, green pool beneath. The sculptured groups, surmounting the terraced fountains, are by Furio Piccirilli of New York. The enclosing walls are soft pink, the line where they join the blue vault of the sky charmingly broken by the living green of luxuriant, trailing vines.

Court of the Four Seasons
The Ionic Columns

Through the columns is a glimpse of the Eastern Gateway where, carved in three panels over the entrance, is the following inscription: