(b Ried im Innkreis, 5 June 1634; d Ried, 13 Feb 1707). He inherited the sculpture workshop of his father Hans Schwanthaler in 1656 and began to receive major commissions in the early 1660s. The end of the Thirty Years War (1648) and the victory of the Counter-Reformation had given occasion for an abundance of commissions, mostly from ecclesiastical patrons. In rapid succession he produced a series of large altars, first for the parish churches of his region, such as those at Ried (1663 and 1669), Zell am Pettenfirst (1667) and Haag (1665); and then for churches of the Benedictine order in Upper Austria and Salzburg, of which St Wolfgang im Salzkammergut (1675) and Maria Plain (1673), near Salzburg, survive. In 1675–6 he produced five altars, including his best-preserved major work, the double altar in the pilgrimage church of St Wolfgang (see fig.), near Michael Pacher’s winged altar (1481). Schwanthaler’s altar, almost 11 m high, includes carved figures and angels’ heads, as well as an abundance of ornamental detail including the first acanthus foliage to be employed in Upper Austria, in place of the customary scrollwork. The model, carvings and gesso priming were produced in the sculptor’s workshop. The black-stained architectural frame with nine different motifs in its mouldings was produced by the joiner Martin Widmer ( fl 1660–80) in Ried, while the gilder Franz Gamann ( fl 1660–80) of Ried was responsible for the rich gilding of all ornaments, wings and robes, as well as the painting of the flesh tints, the red and green glazes of the draperies and the mounting of ornaments and figures.

Part of the Schwanthaler family

• Schwanthaler, Thomas
  • Austria, §IV, 3: Sculpture, c 1600–c 1750: Baroque
  • Schwanthaler