Previously attributed to Burne-Jones, there is a lot of confusion and little documentary evidence regarding the four tiles depicting the seasons. Richard and Hilary Myers claim that they were designed in the early 1860s for a fireplace in Birket Foster's house The Hill, Witley and "The designs are certainly by Burne-Jones." (p 60), and Summer was exhibited in the Centenary of William Morris Exhibition at the V&A in 1934 as being designed by Sir E Burne-Jones, however the designs are unlike any other from his hand. The compositions with the overlapping figures and the distancing of foreground and background is unlike anything at this date, even allowing for a copyist's hand the drawing and poses, though similar to work by Burne-Jones, they appear inauthentic. It is proposed that the designs were from an artist who was an intimate of the circle and show the influence of Burne-Jones and Rossetti, possibly Charles Fairfax Murray who worked for both artists. This poses the question as to accurate dating since he joined the circle in 1866 and the influences apparent in the designs are earlier, for example Green Summer and Sir Galahad, (both by Burne-Jones), the second version of Green Summer was worked on by Fairfax Murray in 1866-7. The practice of The Firm to employ less competent artists as copyists in the production of the tiles, adds to the complication of attribution. Two versions of the compositions for Winter and Summer on linen were presented for sale by Wooley & Wallis on 14 October 2009 lot 1010, and these have much in common with the work of Fairfax Murray. According to Charles Sewter (Vol 2 p 206) Warrington Taylor's list of work by The Firm contains entries for The Hill over the years 1865.1866 and 1867, which allows the design to be by Fairfax Murray who joined the Morris circle in 1866 and he therefore would have had access to drawings in an earlier style by Burne-Jones and could explain the apparent anachronism.
One of a set of The Four Seasons. The design was used in the house of Myles Birket Foster where a set was mounted in panels interspersed with Swan pattern.