The Merchant Family Rochel in Graz Paul Künl, around 1850

Almost Aristocratic, Nearly Holy

The Rochel family belonged to the old-established merchant families in Graz. In their formation, they remind of representations of the Holy Family: Mother and child resemble Mary and Jesus. The man is standing behind them as the patriarch. The golden receptacle on the table, the carpet and the exotic parrot reflect the family’s wealth and refer to its trade relations with distant countries. The jewellery, their clothes and the red curtain too imitate the self-expression of the nobility.