The seated figure of Bristol turns her face to the left. She wears a castellated crown,representing the city, and holds laurel wreaths in both hands. The wreath in her left hand is above a circular shield of the city arms. The sculptor’s name is very prominently incised in the rock upon which she sits. To her right stands Apollo, holding the hand of the first of six of the nine muses. Each holds their appropriate attribute representing the arts and sciences. The order of procession of the muses is: Calliope, Muse of Heroic Song and Epic Poetry, holds a writing tablet; Terpsichore, Muse of Choral Dance and Song, holds a lyre; Thalia, Muse of Comedy, holds a theatrical mask; Melpomene, Muse of Tragedy, holds a tragic mask and the club of Hercules; Polyhymnia, Muse of Sacred Hymns, has no attribute and Urania, Muse of Astronomy carries a celestial globe.