Test map (Eguisheim 1400)

[Chlodowech]

I'm taking a break on my large (or rather tiny ) town drawing, to test out a few things, mainly nature details like forests and vineyards, and also to try a slightly larger scale. I could do those tests as random sketches, but instead i decided to start a smaller new town drawing for it, which will show the Alsacian town of Eguisheim by the year 1400. I picked that subject for a few reasons - first of all, it has all the nature stuff in it that i want to try out, then the town has a few very special features that make it stand out even in its region which is full of pittoresque historic towns, and at last it's not that big, so drawing it will hopefully not take too long.

Eguisheim1.jpg

To give a quick description: By the year 1400 the town already had the same shape as it has today, featuring an almost unique octogonal castle, a romanesque church (it has been replaced by a new one except for the tower by the late 18th century, the plan of the old church is known though), a double town wall and an exceptional set of 5 monastic granges formerly belonging to well-known alsacian monasteries like Unterlinden at Colmar or Marmoutier, and one owned by the Strasbourg diocese. Those yards, the castle, the church and its presbytery leave rather little space only for houses of the normal population, which explains why the double town wall was built over by houses already by the 16th century.

For the houses of this drawing (which all have to be in a 14th century and older style) i have a few references, mainly at Colmar, Riquewihr and some other small places in the region. The castle is semi-properly researched (mainly old works of the 19th century), but i think it is sufficient to produce credible reconstruction of it.

PS: I just decided to link a few images of the references that i've got:

Colmar, place de l'ancienne douane, late 14th century
Colmar, place de la cathédrale, also late 14th century
Wissembourg, rue de la laine, late 14th or early 15th century
Amorbach (Bavaria), Templerhaus, 1291