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15thc perception on swallowtail merlons? - Printable Version

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RE: 15thc perception on swallowtail merlons? - DG97EEB - 07-08-2026

Deleted per Koen's note

RE: 15thc perception on swallowtail merlons? - Pierre Dumont Himself - 07-08-2026

Quote:This is Mainz in Germany (although some have noted that this could be a generic representation as it reoccurs later, notably in Lyon)
According to my downloads, this image was also used for Bononia (Bologna) and Aquileya (Udine). I haven't figured out which city was originally depicted, though I wouldn't be surprised if it was none of these. 
The view of Venice is similar to the one by Erhard Reuwich (1486).
[Image: Map_of_Venice%2C_15th_century.jpg?utm_so...t=original]

RE: 15thc perception on swallowtail merlons? - Koen G - 07-08-2026

We had a whole thread about the Mainz Merlons: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.

RE: 15thc perception on swallowtail merlons? - DG97EEB - 07-08-2026

But what about the other one I posted?

RE: 15thc perception on swallowtail merlons? - Linda - 07-08-2026

I don't think I saw these on the Swallowtail map

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These were the ones that seem to have swallowtail merlons but their maps contain many more in other regions.

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(They also have listings of other countries but again no swallowtail that I have seen as yet, but i haven't looked at them all.)

RE: 15thc perception on swallowtail merlons? - DG97EEB - 07-08-2026

(07-08-2026, 12:48 PM)Linda Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.(They also have listings of other countries but again no swallowtail that I have seen as yet, but i haven't looked at them all.)

Very nice... A couple more I spotted 
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RE: 15thc perception on swallowtail merlons? - Pierre Dumont Himself - 07-08-2026

I suspect most castles of the Saligeri had swallowtail merlons (and there are scores of them), but it's a complex topic that requires a careful investigation. 
In Torri del Benaco, the merlons are obviously new, probably rebuilt in 1980. Inside the castle, there is a reconstruction of the city with straight merlons.
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On the other hand, two drawings from 1892 show the ruined castle with swallowtail merlons. Since it was never restored until recently, I think we should add it. 
[Image: 1892-TORRI-DEL-BENACO-LAGO-DI-GARDA.webp]

The official interpretive sign on the Torre del'Orologio reconstructs the tower with swallowtail merlons. These walled-in merlons are still visible today.
[Image: Torri-del-Benaco-D01.jpg]
[Image: torri-042.jpg]

In Lazise, the fortress was damaged in 1438 by the Visonti, burned and abandoned by the Venetians during the War of Cambrai (1509), and damaged again by the Habsburgs in 1528.
All the merlons you can see today are new, having been rebuilt in the 1870s. The second turret with swallowtail merlons, the park and the crenellated villa in the NW corner were built at the same time. Parts of the castle, the Venetian Customs House (originally an arsenal of the Scaligeri), and the city walls have Guelph merlons, except one renovated gate. I think the evidence we have so far is insufficient. 
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The castle of Padenghe was orignially Guelph:
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[Image: Castello-di-Padenghe-Castelli-Bresciani-1.jpg]
This paper dates the swallowtail merlons to the 1966-1971 restoration.
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Treuenstein is already on my draft map. I'm going to add it here in about two weeks' time as part of a large batch from South Tyrol. 
The castle of Malpaga was partly destroyed in the 1440s and rebuilt by Bartolomeo Colleoni after 1456 as an opulent residence. It has a fresco from the 1520s which depicts the 1474 visit of King Christian I of Denmark to Colleoni. In the fresco, the castle is shown with swallowtail merlons, which likely correspond to the post-1456 phase.
[Image: Girolamo%20Romanino%20-%20Reception%20of...986%29.jpg]
One paper implies that the merlons were added by Colleoni:
Quote:La tessitura muraria tipica delle costruzioni attribuite al Colleoni è costituita da corsi di ciottoli disposti a spina di pesce alternati, a intervalli regolari, con ricorsi di mattoni; anche il muro di contenimento del fossato segue questa tecnica costruttiva e risale quindi, probabilmente, alla seconda metà del XV secolo. Le strutture più antiche, invece, sono costruite in ciottoli e malta, senza mattoni. 
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[Image: 2026-08-07-17h04-42.png]
The orange likely represents laterizio (brick). You can see it clearly here:
[Image: Castello-di-Malpaga.jpg]
On the other hand, one website claims there are traces of older battlements on the wall: 
Quote:Tutta la costruzione è realizzata in ciottoli alternati con masselli in cotto. Lungo tutto il perimetro del castello si notano, sulla facciata esterna, le tracce della merlatura della fortificazione originaria, inglobati nelle più alte mura della nuova costruzione elevate durante i lavori di ristrutturazione ed ampliamento della rocca primiera voluti dal Colleoni.
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Since it probably refers to these ones, even though they were repaired with brick, we can safely add the castle to the map:
[Image: malpaga-castle-in-cavernago-royalty-free...size=640:*]

 From the official website of the Commune of Passirano:
Quote:La merlatura delle mura è ghibellina, a coda di rondine e fu aggiunta tra il ‘600 e il ‘700 assieme al grande portale da cui attualmente si accede al castello.

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The castle/ricetto of Moniga was rebuilt between 1300 and 1400 and likely never restored. A bell tower with chipped swallowtail merlons can be seen in a drawing from 1929.
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The Castle of Soiano was restored in 1937 and again in the 1980s. It appears to have Guelph merlons, except on the restored keep. The castle of Desenzano was originally Guelph until the massive 1882-5 demolition and reconstruction works, according to a veduta from 1877. The carved coat of arms with swallowtail merlons was almost certainly added in the 1950s. The castle of Lonato was always Guelph (cf. 1840 veduta), as was the castle of Tenno, to the north of the lake (1859 veduta). The castle in Portese has no merlons left. Peschiera del Garda was rebuilt as a modern fortress in 1549.

RE: 15thc perception on swallowtail merlons? - Pierre Dumont Himself - 09-08-2026

The merlons at Burg Rappottenstein postdate this 17th-century drawing attributed to Georg Matthäus Vischer:
[Image: 1600s-Schloss-Rapottenstein-Stich-vermut...ischer.jpg]
Another website dates them to the 16th century:
Quote:Der abgerundete nördl. Bering, der die hier vorgelagerten Felsformationen einschließt, trägt Schwalbenschwanzzinnen des 16. Jhs. Der Hof wird vom sog. „Turnierhof“ überragt. Diese wohl bereits im Spätmittelalter geschaffene, von der Kernburg über eine Treppe zugängliche Bastion sitzt auf einer vorspringenden Felsterrasse und war die Basis einer kleinen Gartenanlage, die von einer Brustwehr mit Schwalbenschwanzzinnen umschlossen und durch den schlanken Uhrturm an der NW-Spitze betont wird
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I believe this is true of the wall and the clock tower, but not necessarily of the merlons. I've actually been to this castle, and it has some of the most beautiful frescoes in Austria, also from the 16th century. Definitely worth a trip if you're in the area!

Quote:You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. (look at that location!!)
There are many castles with swallowtail merlons on the Lombard-Piemontese border, but I haven't had the time to date them.

RE: 15thc perception on swallowtail merlons? - Pierre Dumont Himself - 12-08-2026

In 1483, a seventeen-year-old Venetian named Marin Sanudo wrote a diary of his journey trough the Venetian provinces, known as the Itinerario per la terraferma veneziana. The diary contains descriptions of the castles and cities in which he stopped, often accompanied by pen drawings. The drawing below is included within the entry for Brixia (page 74) and presumably depicts a portion the city, perhaps a section of the Cittadella Nuova. This was a narrow fortified corridor that bisected the city, built by the Visconti to isolate the administrative district from the hostile population. 
Spoiler: Cittadella nuova (plan by M. De Paoli and 1426 reconstruction by Loreno Confortini)
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[Image: 2026-08-12-18h34-32.png]
@MarcoP Can you help me transliterate the drawings?
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RE: 15thc perception on swallowtail merlons? - Jorge_Stolfi - 13-08-2026

(12-08-2026, 05:36 PM)Pierre Dumont Himself Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.@MarcoP Can you help me transliterate the drawings?
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"orti" (3x) means "orchards"

The first word of the second line could be "fosse" = "throughs", "moats", or the like. 

The second word seems to be "zoe" or "zol",  which could perhaps maybe be old Venetian for "on the".  Or maybe "yellow"?

I can't make out the third word.  @MarcoP?

All the best, --stolfi