Dovetail pinnacle

Swallowtail pinnacles at the Scaliger Castle of Sirmione

A swallowtail pinnacle (also called Kerbzinne , Welsche Zinne or Scaliger pinnacle ) is the ornamental shape of a pinnacle that was used primarily in South Tyrol and northern Italy on the defensive and circular walls of castles . They are named after the forked tail of swallows .

It was usually attached to the wreath as a distinguishing mark, with the dovetail shape of the Ghibelline pinnacles becoming particularly well known. In the late Gothic and Renaissance periods , this type of battlement was mostly used for decoration.

literature

• Michael Losse , Reinhard Friedrich: battlements. In: Horst Wolfgang Böhme , Reinhard Friedrich, Barbara Schock-Werner (Hrsg.): Dictionary of castles, palaces and fortresses . Philipp Reclam, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-15-010547-1 , p. 271, doi: 10.11588 / arthistoricum.535 .

Web links

Commons : Swallowtail Peaks  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files

• Welsche Zinne in the Heraldik-Wiki