In this fountain by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, it is not the mere possession of wealth that is so sought, but those joys of which our mistaken imaginings make gold the symbol. In the central composition here pictured, the Gilded One has vanished through the portals. Impersonal, unresponsive attendants in Aztec garb guard the door from suppliant followers. With subtle symbolism they give no sign as to whether or not they will relent and give entrance. But the fact that branches of trees have grown close across the opening seems to imply that hope is slight.
Frieze
Details, Fountain of El Dorado
Two long curving panels supplement the main archway of the Fountain of El Dorado. They represent the striving of humankind for Power and Possession. Some by prowess, some by thought; some gaily, some sorrowfully; some urgent, some patient; some rushing, some lingering - all press onward toward the longed-for goal. Here and there one falls fainting; another halts for love or pleasure or indifference. Some stop to lift or help the fallen, others press by unheeding. The certain sad fatality of the concept is relieved of its pang by the light and fluent beauty of treatment. The idea is perhaps a little grim, but the handling is pleasant and the impression agreeable. The beauty of both the colonnade fountains is enhanced by the lines of the water in the cascade stairway. In the Fountain of El Dorado this effect is increased by a line of balanced jets flowing from dolphin heads in the lower panel.
Nations of the East
Group, Arch of the Rising Sun
Across the great Court of the Universe, the Court of Honor of the Exposition, the Nations of the East and West face each other from the summits of their triumphal arches. They express the coming brotherhood of man, the nations brought closer by Canal and Exposition, and the fact that civilization has girdled the earth. Inscriptions characteristic of Eastern and Western wisdom are engraved beneath them. These heroic groups are the result of the successful collaboration of A. Stirling Calder, Frederick G. R. Roth, and Leo Lentelli.
In the Eastern group here pictured, about a richly caparisoned elephant stand the camel drivers, Egypt and Assyria; the equestrians, Arabian and Mongolian; two Negro Servitors; the Bedouin Falconer and the Chinese Llama. The pyramidal composition is massive and the Eastern spirit nobly sustained. On pylons before both arches, Leo Lentelli's Guardian Genii - calm, impressive, winged spirits - guard the universe. The unity of men and nature are denoted by the Rising and Setting Sun fountains, the row of Stars, the Zodiac friezes and the Elements. Of these, "Air and Earth" appear in the foreground of the picture. In the distance is "Music," one of the classic groups contacting the Court with the carnival spirit. All these are described on later pages.
Pegasus
Spandrels, East and West Arches
These spandrels, by Frederick G. R. Roth, are interesting artistically, not only for the eager sweep and sense of bigness not usual in the narrow scope of a spandrel, but especially for their warm decorative value to the wall surface and the aspiring way in which they follow the rising line of the archway over which they are placed. The spandrels are made in very vigorous low relief. They express the place of poetry in the Universe. For, in this court that celebrates man's achievements in the East and West, and Nature's gifts to all, the poet on his winged horse appears to inspire the one and interpret the other. The spandrels throughout the Exposition are noteworthy. It is significant of the artistic conscientiousness in detail of those who planned the sculpture that these and other smaller pieces are so uniformly beautiful. Notable among them are August Jaegers' spandrels in the Court of the Four Seasons and Albert Weinert's in the Court of Palms.
The Stars
A Detail of the Colonnade
A sense of eternal spaces, the feeling of calm and elemental tranquillity, is given to the Court of the Universe by the surrounding Colonnade of Stars. The quiet stars look, down upon the activities of men. The semi-conventionalized Star figure, light and firm, repeated about the Colonnade is a highly important factor in the architectural beauty of the Court. She stands a-tiptoe on the globe that forms her pedestal; the circle of her arms about the starry head-dress implies the endlessness of space. The pointed headdress is hung with jewels of the kind that decorate the tower. These carry the jubilant idea of the tower around the Court. They twinkle brilliantly where the sun strikes them and are illuminated by thin shafts of searchlight at night. This Star figure by A. Stirling Calder has been reproduced in the insignia of the Exposition on a number of its official engravings and is the central design of the gold badges of the Directors and the silver badges of the Chiefs of Departments.