Bust of Federal Councillor Jakob Stämpfli (1820-1879)

History of the work

To the right of the entrance of the University of Bern's main building at the Grosse Schanze, the bronze bust of Jakob Stämpfli (1820–1879) stands on a pedestal. It dates from 1884; the sculptor recorded is Karl Alfred Lanz, and the city's register names E. Gruet in Paris as the foundry. The Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie describes the monument on the Grosse Schanze as simple: a bronze bust on a granite base with the inscription “Jacob Stämpfli 1820—1879”. A small commemorative booklet by U. Hohl was published for the unveiling in 1884.

Stämpfli was born on 23 February 1820 near Wengi and grew up on a farm. From 1840 he studied law in Bern; in 1845 he was one of the founders of the newspaper “Berner Zeitung” and became its first editor. As a member of the Bernese cantonal government, according to the Historical Dictionary of Switzerland, he replaced feudal dues with an income tax. In December 1854 he was elected to the Federal Council, where he served until 1863; as President of the Confederation he represented Switzerland in the Neuchâtel and Savoy affairs. Later he chaired the Eidgenössische Bank and in 1872 sat on the Alabama arbitration tribunal. He died in Bern on 15 May 1879 and was buried in the Bremgarten cemetery.

Karl Alfred Lanz (1847–1907) came from La Chaux-de-Fonds, began as an engraver in Biel and then studied in Munich and, from 1875 to 1877, in Paris at the École des Beaux-Arts. After his monument to General Dufour in Geneva, unveiled in 1884, he received further major commissions, for example for Pestalozzi in Yverdon. He made busts of politicians and architectural sculpture for the Federal Palace, the university and the Kunstmuseum Bern.

The bust is older than the building it now stands in front of: the architects Hodler and Joos only built the university's main building from 1900 to 1903, following a competition held in 1898. It is worth looking up: on the attic balustrade above the central block stands the statue of Science, also by Alfred Lanz.

Researched and summarised by Bärn Kit. Sources: Kultur Stadt Bern, Kunst im öffentlichen Raum (offene Daten) · Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie: Stämpfli, Jacob (K. Geiser) · HLS: Stämpfli, Jakob · Wikipedia: Jakob Stämpfli · HLS: Lanz, Karl Alfred · Wikipedia: Alfred Lanz · Wikipedia (de): Karl Alfred Lanz · Bauinventar Stadt Bern: Hochschulstrasse 4 (Universität, Hauptgebäude)