15thc perception on swallowtail merlons?

[Koen G]

Added! This would have been our northernmost example if you hadn't added Untermontani before

It's remarkable how often the merlons are simply embedded in consecutive building layers. I think there are about 4 layers here: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.

Probably it's just a matter of convenience, since the merons are already quite tall so that's a lot of bricks you don't need to place anymore.

[Koen G]

Peter, do you know of this one? You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. 
It mentions Swallowtail merlons in the description, but I can't find much about who put them there.

[Dana Scott]

Peter, do you know of this one? You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. 
It mentions Swallowtail merlons in the description, but I can't find much about who put them there.

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[Aga Tentakulus]

           

Interesting find. I took my time with it.
Based on the drawings, it has none. But the model does.
The castle gate is dated to the early 16th century. I think the battlements are therefore from around 1530-1540.
In any case, they are earlier than normal (north of the Alps) which is around 1560.

Link for pictures

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[Koen G]

Nice find, I couldn't find anything myself (lots of German sources also). On the drawing, it's only the little wall in front of the one with the battlements. Theoretically this leaves the option available that the swallowtails already existed on the larger wall before they added the round tower. The 16th century construction of this tower indicates that they were building right at the only spot where the castle has swallowtail merlons though, so it might be best to assume that they belong to this later building phase.

[Aga Tentakulus]

   

Another problem is that there are actually 2 castles. The west castle is 100-150 years older than the east castle, and there were also 2 different families.

That doesn't exactly make research any easier, and what documents survived the Second World War.

[Koen G]

Found a new MS:

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[Livro de la Menscalcia de li cavalli]
Italy, perhaps in Apulia, early 15th century
MS M.735 fol. 76r

[Koen G]

Here's a pope in front of swallowtail merlons. The MS is apparently quite partisan and the imagery complex.



See library catalogue for some explanation: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
(I still don't get why the swallowtails are there). 

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[Bernd]

Just because I've just been there - both the Visconti bridge and the Scaliger castle at Valeggio sul Mincio near Verona have swallowtail merlons
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I would assume these are original. The merlons are hard to see at the bridge today but they were apparent from the inside of one of the bridge towers. Unfortunately I accidentally deleted the photo I made when I was there.



I would also suspect that most of the other Scaliger buildings mentioned here had swallowtail merlons
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[Scarecrow]

I'm not sure if this has been already included, and I have no ideaa (yet) from where it is from, but more than that I find it interesting that they look like the first weirdos in the f1r.