The facade of Karlskirche has been interpreted with analogies since its inception. The questions focus on the
changes in content compared with the original concept of Fischer von Erlach and possible templates for the
column relief. The sculptures of 1715–1738 were designed by the city’s leading sculptors, all of whom were connected with the court and the academy: Antonio Canavese, Johann Stanetti, Lorenzo Mattielli, and Christoph Mader, along with their workers. They represented a moderate Baroque style influenced by that of Northern Italy, which matched the architecture of Johann Bernhard and Joseph Emanuel Fischer. Although hardly any of the
original stone material is left, the appearance was maintained to the extent that the sculptor’s individual stylistic characteristics are recognizable within the ensemble.