Franz Anton von Zauner (5 July 1746/48,

Kaunerberg Kaunerberg is a municipality in the district of Landeck in the Austrian state of Tyrol located 12.6 km southeast of Landeck Landeck () is a city in the Austrian state of Tyrol, the capital of the district of Landeck. Geography Landeck is l ...

– 3 March 1822,

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

) was an Austrian sculptor who worked in the Neoclassical style.

Life

Although his parents were poor, they supported his desire to become an artist and a local sculptor helped him develop his woodcarving skills. When he was ten years old, he was apprenticed to an uncle who had a masonry workshop and remained there for ten years.* Constantin von Wurzbach: Zauner Edler von Falpatann, Franz. In: ''Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich''. Vol.59, Verlag L. C. Zamarski, Vienna 1890, pgs.203–207.

/ref> In 1766, he was enrolled at the

Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna (german: link=no, Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien) is a public art school in Vienna, Austria. History The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna was founded in 1692 as a private academy modelled on the Accademia di Sa ...

, where he became a professor in 1782 and later director (1806-1815). One of his first projects after graduating involved a series of anatomical figures for the famed

ophthalmologist Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgery, surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Followin ...

Joseph Barth Joseph Barth (28 October 1746 – 7 April 1818) was a Maltese-born Austrian ophthalmologist. He is believed to have been the first professor of ophthalmology. Education He studied at the Anatomical and Surgical School at Mediterranean Conferen ...

. He was offered a permanent position as an anatomical sculptor at a good salary, but had higher ambitions and turned it down. A commission from Prince

Kaunitz Wenzel Anton, Prince of Kaunitz-Rietberg (german: Wenzel Anton Reichsfürst von Kaunitz-Rietberg, cz, Václav Antonín z Kounic a Rietbergu; 2 February 1711 – 27 June 1794) was an Austrian and Czech diplomat and statesman in the Habsburg monarc ...

for fountains at the

Schönbrunn Palace Schönbrunn Palace (german: Schloss Schönbrunn ; Central Bavarian: ''Schloss Scheenbrunn'') was the main summer residence of the Habsburg rulers, located in Hietzing, Vienna. The name ''Schönbrunn'' (meaning “beautiful spring”) has its root ...

enabled him to a stay in Rome from 1776 to 1781, initially under the sponsorship of

Anton Raphael Mengs Anton Raphael Mengs (22 March 1728 – 29 June 1779) was a German people, German painter, active in Dresden, Rome, and Madrid, who while painting in the Rococo period of the mid-18th century became one of the precursors to Neoclassicism, Neoclas ...

. While there, he became dissatisfied with what he felt were the superfluous mannerisms of the most popular sculptures and sought to create a purer Classical style. His equestrian statue of

Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II (German: Josef Benedikt Anton Michael Adam; English: ''Joseph Benedict Anthony Michael Adam''; 13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg lands from November 29, 1780 unt ...

, won him a knighthood from Kaiser

Franz I Francis I or Francis the First may refer to: * Francesco I Gonzaga (1366–1407) * Francis I, Duke of Brittany (1414–1450), reigned 1442–1450 * Francis I of France (1494–1547), King of France, reigned 1515–1547 * Francis I, Duke of Saxe-L ...

. It later became the subject of a poem by

Anastasius Grün Count Anton Alexander von Auersperg, also known under the name Anastasius Grün (11 April 180612 September 1876), was an Austrian poet and liberal politician from Carniola, a former Habsburg crown land in today's Slovenia. Biography He was born ...

. He is also well known for a monument to Leopold II in the Augustinian Church and the tomb of Field Marshal

Ernst Gideon von Laudon Ernst Gideon von Laudon, since 1759 Freiherr von Laudon (originally Laudohn or Loudon; 13 February 171714 July 1790), was a Baltic German-born Austrian generalisimo and one of the most successful opponents of the Prussian king Frederick the Great ...

at the Schloss Laudon. In the 1780s Zauner was a member of the Viennese Freemason lodge "Zur wahren Eintracht", where

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

was also a member and

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

was a frequent visitor. In 1894 a street in Wien-

Landstraße Landstraße (; Central Bavarian: ''Laundstrossn'') is the 3rd municipal district of Vienna, Austria (german: 3. Bezirk). It is near the center of Vienna and was established in the 19th century. Landstraße is a heavily populated urban area with ...

was named the "Zaunergasse" in his honor.

References

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zauner, Franz Anton von 1746 births 1822 deaths Austrian sculptors Austrian male sculptors People from Landeck District Academy of Fine Arts Vienna alumni Academic staff of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna Edlers of Austria

Life

References

Further reading

External links