Apeliotes was the Greek deity of the south-east wind. As this wind was thought to cause a refreshing rain particularly beneficial to farmers, he is often depicted carrying fruit, draped in a light cloth concealing some flowers or grain.

The figures of the Eight Winds appeared on the original Tower of the Winds in Athens and were used by the sculptor John Bacon (1740-99) as the basis for his designs for the flying figures round the top of the stonework of the Observatory.

www.gtc.ox.ac.uk/about/history/radcliffe-observatory



Bacon also designed the two statues (in cast iron) of Atlas and Hercules who support the globe on the roof.