Franz Anton von Zauner

Franz Anton von Zauner (5 July 1746/48, Kaunerberg – 3 March 1822, Vienna) was an Austrian sculptor who worked in the Neoclassical style.

Although his parents were poor, they supported his desire to become an artist and a local sculptor helped him develop his woodcarving skills.

[1] A commission from Prince Kaunitz for fountains at the Schönbrunn Palace enabled him to a stay in Rome from 1776 to 1781, initially under the sponsorship of Anton Raphael Mengs.

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, won him a knighthood from Kaiser Franz I.