Johann Friedrich Ludwig (19 March 1673 in Baden-Wurttemberg - 18 January 1752 in Lisbon), known in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

as João Frederico Ludovice, was a German-born Portuguese

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

and

goldsmith A goldsmith is a Metalworking, metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Nowadays they mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, goldsmiths have also made cutlery, silverware, platter (dishware), pl ...

From Hohnehart to Rome

Ludovice was born in 1670 in Hohenhart, near

Schwäbisch Hall Schwäbisch Hall (; "Swabian Hall"; from 1802 until 1934 and colloquially: ''Hall'' ) is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg located in the valley of the Kocher river, the longest tributary (together with its headwater Lein) of the ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. His parents are recorded as Peter Ludwig (a small government servant) and Elizabeth Ludwig, both

Lutherans Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...

. He first trained to be a goldsmith with his father, but joined the imperial army at age 19, during the

Nine Years' War The Nine Years' War (1688–1697), often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg, was a conflict between France and a European coalition which mainly included the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarch ...

. After the

Peace of Ryswick The Peace of Ryswick, or Rijswijk, was a series of treaties signed in the Dutch city of Rijswijk between 20 September and 30 October 1697. They ended the 1688 to 1697 Nine Years' War between France and the Grand Alliance (League of Augsburg), Gran ...

, in 1697, he goes to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. There, he works for the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus ( la, Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), also known as the Jesuits (; la, Iesuitæ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

, in particular in the Jesuit

Andrea Pozzo Andrea Pozzo (; Latinized version: ''Andreas Puteus''; 30 November 1642 – 31 August 1709) was an Italian Jesuit brother, Baroque painter, architect, decorator, stage designer, and art theoretician. Pozzo was best known for his grandiose fresc ...

's plan to decorate the altars of the Church of Saint Ignatius of Jesus. As part of this project, he reportedly worked in casting the silver figure designed by Pierre Le Gros, as well as bronze reliefs by

Angelo de Rossi Angelo de Rossi (1671 – June 12, 1715) was an Italian sculptor. Born in Genoa, he was apprenticed to Filippo Parodi in 1680; Parodi's influence is clear in his first pre-1689 work, a ''Small Satyr'' in marble. Nearly unavoidably, he was also in ...

. Still in Rome, he converts to

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, marries his wife, Clara Agnese (in 1700), and changes his name to Ludovice. As a result of his work, the Jesuits invite Ludovice to work in

From Rome to Portugal

In the 10th of September, 1701, Ludovice signs a contract, as a goldsmith, with the Jesuits of

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

. In this contract, he is to work exclusively for them for seven years, making silver and metal work for their buildings, with an annual pay of 500

escudos The escudo (Portuguese language, Portuguese: 'shield') is a unit of currency historically used in Portugal and its Portuguese Empire, colonies in South America, Asia, and Africa. It was originally worth 16 silver . The Cape Verdean escudo and ...

. In 1701, his eldest son, João Pedro, is born, already in Portuguese soil. Mafra May 2013-2

In 1711, ten years after arriving in Lisbon, Ludovice is commissioned the project for the

Mafra National Palace The Palace of Mafra ( pt, Palácio de Mafra), also known as the Palace-Convent of Mafra and the Royal Building of Mafra (), is a monumental Baroque and Neoclassical palace-monastery located in Mafra, Portugal, some 28 kilometres from Lisbon. Co ...

(1717–1731) for the Portuguese king

João V Dom John V ( pt, João Francisco António José Bento Bernardo; 22 October 1689 – 31 July 1750), known as the Magnanimous (''o Magnânimo'') and the Portuguese Sun King (''o Rei-Sol Português''), was King of Portugal from 9 December 17 ...

. It is not known exactly why Ludovice was commissioned the project, but a combination of factors have been suggested, ranging from lack of capable native and foreign architects in Portugal at the time, the recommendation of the Roman Jesuists, and the probably patronage of Queen

Maria Anna of Austria Maria Anna of Austria (Maria Anna Josepha Antonia Regina; 7 September 1683 – 14 August 1754) was Queen of Portugal as the wife of King John V of Portugal. She served as the regent of Portugal from 1742 until 1750 during the illness of her hus ...

(who may have enjoyed the company of another German-speaking person at court). Other projects of his include churches and the tower of the

University of Coimbra The University of Coimbra (UC; pt, Universidade de Coimbra, ) is a Public university, public research university in Coimbra, Portugal. First established in Lisbon in 1290, it went through a number of relocations until moving permanently to Coi ...

. He later adopted Portuguese citizenship.

Notes

1673 births 1752 deaths German goldsmiths German Baroque architects Portuguese Baroque architects German Roman Catholics Portuguese Roman Catholics Converts to Roman Catholicism from Lutheranism Portuguese people of German descent {{Germany-architect-stub