Figural clocks combining novelty and automaton features were very popular in the 19th century, many of them being of French manufacture.
This 18in (46cm) high example, which featured in Chiswick Auctions’ (22% buyer’s premium) sale on May 24, was made by the Parisian firm Pons who were winners of the Paris Medaille D’or, 1827, as proudly stamped to the clock’s movement.
The dial is fitted into the base of an gilt bronze model of the famous 16th century Torre de Belem, a defensive building situated just outside Lisbon on the river Tagus and now a Unesco World Heritage site.