A good and rare late 19th century French automata lighthouse timepieceGuilmet, No. 1542. The realistically modelled glazed cupola set with rotating red and green glass panels alternately revealing the helical torsion spring, enclosed by a balustrade over a tapering body with applied windows to a concave mid-section over a brickwork base with door containing the Roman dial and original blued steel spade hands. The single barrel movement with deadbeat escapement and pallet arm with a forked end impulsing the slowly rotating torsion pendulum above, the backplate stamped with the Guilmet trademark and numbered 1542 56cms (22ins) highFootnotes:An identical case is illustrated in Roberts, D. (1999) Mystery, Novelty & Fantasy Clocks. Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing, page 257, Fig.22-8.