Andromedabrunnen, Baroque fountain and artwork in Altes Rathaus, Austria.

The Andromedabrunnen is a late-Baroque wall fountain set into the facade of the Altes Rathaus in Vienna. Its basin is cut from Wöllersdorf stone, flanked by atlas pillars; two putti groups representing the cardinal virtues carry the balcony above. The niche holds a fully sculpted lead relief of Perseus on Pegasus coming to Andromeda's aid against the sea monster.

Georg Raphael Donner created the fountain in 1741, the year he died; it is considered one of his last major works. The balcony above it, with its wrought-iron grille, dates from 1725, when the city council's decrees were read from it. The lead relief shows Perseus on Pegasus coming to rescue Andromeda from a sea monster, an allegory of Austria seeking deliverance from the Ottoman threat.

The lead relief shows Perseus on Pegasus rushing to rescue Andromeda from a sea monster. In Donner's time the chained Andromeda was read as an allegory of Austria calling for deliverance from the Ottoman threat, a theme kept current by the Habsburg wars with the Porte in southern Europe.

The fountain is located in the inner courtyard of the Old Town Hall and is freely visible when you explore the building. The site now functions as an administrative center, so visiting hours may be limited.

The artwork was partly crafted from lead, a less common material for fountains, demonstrating Donner's technical skill and bold material choice. This decision allowed for finer sculptural details that would have been harder to achieve using stone alone.