Offshore at the Restelo beach Manuel ordered the construction of a defensive fort, the tower of Belém, a fantasy construction as much as a military bastion, standing alone in the sea and emblazoned with these decorative devices. Among the hemispherical watchtowers, like ribbed pineapples girded by ropes, and battlements bearing the shields of the Order of Christ, the stone carvers modelled the head of the white rhinoceros, lifting its horned snout out to sea – image of marvel and surprise at what the Portuguese had done.
