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| THE FARMER'S BRIDGE - This was the friendly
sobriquet bestowed on the bridge, seen in the photograph before us,
which led from Machinery Hall to Agricultural Hall, on the south side
of the Grand Basin. We have here in view a rostral column, which may
be described. On its apex stood a statue of Neptune, trident in
hand; on either side of the pillar were the breaks or
rostra of three vessels, a tribute to
the marine commerce whereby Venice, as Rome had done, testified her
debt to the sea. Hence, rostrum, a
speaking place, or forum. We obtain a special view of the north-west
corner of Agricultural Hall. Here was a Corinthian porch, protecting
extensive mural paintings in bright colors. In the pediment was a
sculptural work of great beauty, representing the shepherds, their
flocks, and their dogs. The caryatides called Abundance can be seen,
and their number was sixty. Figures of eagles were added to the
numerous effigies, and groups of the Seasons sat, garlands in hand,
at the base of the pyramid that served as a pedestal for the Four
Horoscopes, or Races, on the summit. These most graceful figures are
elsewhere illustrated in these photographs. They upheld the frame of
a sphere on which the zone of the zodiac was wound. The treatment of
balustrades and quay are here seen, as well as four of the casts of
animals by Kemeys and Proctor on the bridge. |
