Early Life and Artistic Beginnings Rudolf Koller, born in Zürich on May 21st, 1828, emerged from a world steeped in the everyday rhythms of rural life. His father, Johann Heinrich Koller, initially a butcher and brewer, later became the innkeeper of the “Schwarzen Adler” hotel—a central hub frequented by waggoners and cattle dealers. This formative environment indelibly shaped the young artist’s sensibility, immersing him in the sight…