Sculptor
24 May 1693, Steyregg, Upper Austria - 15 February 1741, Vienna
The supreme sculptor of the Austrian Baroque. Georg Raphael Donner brought classical refinement and emotional restraint to Central European sculpture, a counterpoint to the exuberant dynamism of the High Baroque. Working in lead rather than marble, he achieved a silvery, fluid quality in his figures that remains immediately distinctive.
In Salzburg, his lead allegorical figures adorn the fountain basin in Mirabell Gardens, among the most graceful sculptural accents in any European baroque garden. Visitors photographing the Pegasus Fountain and the city panorama toward Hohensalzburg Fortress walk past his work daily.
Locations
Laid out c. 1730
The formal baroque gardens adjoining Mirabell Palace, freely accessible to all visitors. Franz Anton Danreiter created the definitive layout around 1730. Famous as the location where Julie Andrews performed "Do-Re-Mi" in The Sound of Music. The view toward Hohensalzburg Fortress is one of the most photographed scenes in the city.
