He was the younger brother of the painter
Anton Ferdinand Schaller. From 1789, he attended the
Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna where he studied under
Hubert Maurer. In 1791, he became an apprentice at the
Vienna Porcelain Manufactory. The following year, he began to study sculpture with
Franz Anton von Zauner. By 1811, he had become the head of modelling at the factory. Despite his turn to sculpture, he retained his love for porcelain and acted as an artistic advisor to the factory for the rest of his life. From 1812 to 1823 he lived in Rome on a grant from
Prince Metternich, obtained for him by a patron, Count Carl Ludwig Cobenzl. While there, he became familiar with the
Nazarene movement, as well as making professional contact with
Antonio Canova and
Bertel Thorvaldsen. He politely refused an offer from King
Ludwig I to come work for him in Munich. In 1823, he returned to Vienna, having accepted a position as Professor of Sculpture at the Academy. His most famous student there was
Joseph Gasser von Valhorn. He died after a brief illness that was not believed to be serious. A street in the Viennese district of
Meidling was named after him in 1907. == Selected major works ==