Mary folds her hands in prayer and wears a red robe. The overlying cloak is blue with golden stars. These symbolise ‘Stella maris’ (star of the sea), the star that points the individual soul in the right direction on the ‘sea of life’.Mary folds her hands in prayer and wears a red robe. The overlying cloak is blue with golden stars. These symbolise ‘Stella maris’ (star of the sea), the star that points the individual soul in the right direction on the ‘sea of life’.

Jesus blesses with his (somewhat damaged) right hand and holds a book in his left hand on which the inscription ‘Si vous mai mez imitez moi’ can be seen, translated into German as ‘Wenn du mich liebst, ahme mich nach’.

The French-language text on the book of the infant Jesus and the royal fleur-de-lis on Joseph's throw suggest a French origin. As Charles X, the last French king to bear the lily coat of arms, abdicated in 1830 and the figure was made around 1900, these lilies can be seen as a general symbol of Joseph's royal descent from the House of David.

The veneration of the Holy Family can be traced back to the Middle Ages. In the Catholic tradition, the veneration of the Holy Family began in the Counter-Reformation Baroque period. From the middle of the 19th century, it experienced a further upswing that lasted until the first decades of the 20th century. The life of Jesus in the Holy Family, which lasted 30 years, was seen as a mystery full of meaning and a helpful role model for family life, which was often at risk. The infant Jesus blesses with his (somewhat damaged) right hand and holds a book in his left hand with the words ‘Si vous mai mez imitez moi’, which translates into German as ‘If you love me, imitate me’.

The French-language text on the book of the infant Jesus and the royal fleur-de-lis on Joseph's throw suggest a French origin. As Charles X, the last French king to bear the lily coat of arms, abdicated in 1830 and the figure was made around 1900, these lilies can be seen as a general symbol of Joseph's royal descent from the House of David.

The veneration of the Holy Family can be traced back to the Middle Ages. In the Catholic tradition, the veneration of the Holy Family began in the Counter-Reformation Baroque period. From the middle of the 19th century, it experienced a further upswing that lasted until the first decades of the 20th century. The 30-year life of Jesus in the Holy Family was seen as a meaningful mystery and a helpful role model for family life, which was often jeopardised.