Franz Ludwig Stadlin

Franz Ludwig Stadlin (born June 18, 1658 in Zug , Switzerland ; † April 14, 1740 in Beijing ) was a Swiss Jesuit and imperial court watchmaker at the court in China.

Short biography

Franz Ludwig Stadlin is entered in the Zug baptismal register as Franciscus Leonitus . He worked for a long time as a master watchmaker in Germany and Austria, worked for masters in Ulm, Vienna, Prague, Danzig, Königsberg, Dresden and Berlin. In 1687 Franz Ludwig Stadlin entered the Bohemian Province of the Jesuit Order in Brno . He came to China in 1707 and worked there in Beijing for 33 years, where he died in 1740.

Documents from the parish priest

From documents that the parish priest Franz Weiss evaluated in the Zuger Neujahrsblatt 1915, it emerges that the popular Jeuitenbrother had almost forgotten the German mother tongue in his old days and also the Portuguese, which he probably had during his stay in Portugal before leaving to China used as well as mixed with Chinese, since he did not fully master both languages.

The tombstone in Beijing

When he died , the court eunuchs whom he had introduced to watchmaking were particularly mourning for him . Emperor Kangxi from the Manchu dynasty held him in high esteem, which is proven by the fact that Stadlin was able to hold a solemn funeral, a socially high-ranking event in China, with funds from the imperial court, namely through the donation of 200 ounces of silver and 10 bales of silk. This is written on a tombstone in Beijing.

It is said that Emperor Kangxi personally followed Stadlin's craft with great interest on the spot. The solemn funeral was made possible by a successor to Emperor Kangxi (1662–1722) by the name of Qianlong (1736–95).

Christian cemetery in Beijing

In fact, the gravestone of the Zuger can still be found in the oldest Christian cemetery in the Chinese capital. It is the Shalan cemetery in the west of the city. In a recent publication, Edward J. Malatesta and Gao Zhiu documented the gravestones in the cemetery. Jesuits who worked in Beijing are buried here. The cemetery dates back to 1610 and contains 73 tombstones, the last from 1895.

Only three are from the 19th century; after 1799 there was a major turning point, as the Jesuit order was, as is well known, temporarily suspended in 1774. The first to be buried in the cemetery is the famous Italian Jesuit Matteo Ricci , who died in 1610. Buried next to him is Giacomo Rho , also a well-known scholar, who died in 1638, as well as the German Johann Adam Schall von Bell , who died in 1666. It is noticeable that numerous European nations are represented, especially Portuguese. Portugal owned the colony of Macau and was still important as a sea power. Furthermore, Germans, French, Italians, Austrians, but also Chinese, including Jesuits from Macao, are represented with gravestones.

Franz Stadlin is the only Swiss person buried in the cemetery. The inscription on his tombstone is in Latin and Chinese. The Latin text is: D (omino), O (ptimo), M (aximo). F (rater) Franziskus Stadlin Helvetius Tugiensis Vixit in Societate LIII Annos Et Ex His Pekini Exegit XXXIII. Habilis Atque Indefessus In Arte Automataria. Obiit In Domino XIV April (is) A (nni) C (hristi) MDCCXI Aetatis Suae LXXXII. In German: God the best and greatest, brother Franz Stadlin from Zug in Switzerland. He lived in the Society of Jesus for 53 years. Of these he spent 33 years in Beijing. He was skilled and tireless in the art of automatics (ie as a watchmaker). He died in the Lord on April 14, 1740 AD, at the age of 82. The Chinese text bears the title in the middle from top to bottom: Grave of the Jesuit of the honorable Lin (Franz Stadlin). Next to it is in German translation: Master Lin was called Jige (Franziskus) and was nicknamed Yukan. He was born in Germany, on the great western ocean. He joined the Society of Jesus at the age of 29 to spread the sacred doctrine. In the 46th year of Emperor Kangshi's reign (1707) he came to China and moved to the capital (Beijing) to serve at the imperial palace. He died on the 18th day of the 3rd month of the 15th year of the Qianlong rule (April 14th, 1740). 200 ounces of silver and 10 large bales of silk were donated from the imperial treasury for the funeral. He reached the age of 82, 53 of which he was in the Society of Jesus.

signature

Like all works of art made for the emperor, Stadlin signed his masterpieces with the imperial engraving "Kangxi Yu Zhi", made on the emperor's orders during the Kangxi period.

Companies

The Stadlin company refers to this tradition of Franz Ludwig Stadlin and advertises with the emblem of the Imperial Court Clockmaker . The head office is in Basel .

Web links

• Official homepage of Atelier Stadlin GmbH
• Urban Fink: Stadlin, Franz Ludwig. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .