Frederick the Great Playing the Flute at Sanssouci

Painted in 1852 and held in the Alte Nationalgalerie, 'Frederick the Great Playing the Flute at Sanssouci' is among the most famous of Menzel's reconstructions of the Frederician world and one of the most celebrated German paintings of the nineteenth century. Frederick II was a genuinely accomplished flautist who composed his own works and performed regularly with professional musicians including the composer C.P.E. Bach; his musical evenings at Sanssouci were a manifestation of the Enlightenment cultural ideals he professed. Menzel's painting shows one of these concerts in the rococo gilded interior of the palace, candlelight illuminating the scene with theatrical warmth. The composition brings together Menzel's mastery of interior light, his research into Frederician material culture, and his ability to populate a complex social scene with individualised figures.

Candlelight and reflected light from the gilded rococo interior create the painting's warm, shimmering atmosphere, Menzel rendering the multiple light sources with precise observation of their individual colour temperatures and directional effects.