Georg Rafael Donner

{{Short description|Austrian sculptor}}

Image:Georg R Donner.jpg

Image:2002 Austria 100 Euro Sculpture front.jpg featuring Georg Rafael Donner]]

Georg Rafael Donner (24 May 1693 – 15 February 1741) was one of the most prolific Austrian sculptors of the 18th century. His style was baroque with some pseudo-ancient additions. He educated many German sculptors of his era, including his son Matthäus Donner.{{cite encyclopedia|accessdate=2007-02-17|encyclopedia=Catholic Encyclopedia|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05131c.htm|title=Georg Raphael Donner}}

Donner was born in Essling, Vienna. His work was inspired by nature and by antique sculpture which was deposited in the Vienna's academy.{{Citation needed|date=September 2008}} One of Donner's most famous works is Donnersteig in Mirabel Castle, Salzburg (1725–1727), for which he sculpted life-size marble figures. {{Citation needed|date=September 2008}} From 1728 he worked in Pozsony at the court of count-bishop Emeric (or Imre) Esterházy, where he sculpted a gravestone for Bishop Esterházy and a horse monument of St. Martin. For almost 10 years he had his studio in the garden of the Summer Archbishop's Palace, at that time just outside Pozsony.Bratislavske Noviny 5/2011, page 7 In Vienna he created two fountains: Fountain of Austria's rivers (1737–1739) and the source with the sculptures of Perzei and Andromeda in front of the City Hall (1739).{{Citation needed|date=September 2008}} One of his last works is the Pieta at the cathedral in Gurk (1741).{{Citation needed|date=September 2008}} He died in Vienna.

Georg Rafael Donner was recently selected as the main motif of the Austrian gold euro commemorative coin: The sculpture coin was issued on 13 November 2002. The obverse has a portrait of Donner, with the Palace of the Lower Belvedere in the background. This palace is currently the museum of baroque art in Vienna, and contains much of Donner's work.