Classical-style head-and-shoulders marble bust of (Sir) George Bidell Airy, the sitter looking to his left and slightly upward. It is inscribed on the top back of the shoulders 'G. B. AIRY / Astronomer Royal' and signed and dated on the hollowed back of the body 'J. H. FOLEY. R.A. / Sculptor / LONDON 1858'.

Airy was the seventh Astronomer Royal at Greenwich (1835-81) and in 1851 the creator of 'Greenwich Mean Time'. This is presumed to the bust of him that Foley exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1858.

Foley (1818-74) was a very successful Irish sculptor, who won early prizes both in Dublin and at the Royal Academy Schools after he moved to London, where he also assisted Willam Behnes. His imaginative work was highly regarded and he executed many portraits, statues and other public commissions. His best known works are his sculptures for the Albert Memorial, though his gilt-bronze statue of Prince Albert himself was completed after his death by his leading assistant, Thomas Brock.