"A Flute Concert of Frederick the Great at Sanssouci" was painted in oil on canvas; it was done in 1852, when Adolph Von Menzel was 37....................The subject of this painting,Frederick the Great, dominated the 18th Century in German history. He was a great general, a great ruler and also a musician and philosopher - Wrote 4 symphonys and about 100 sonatas and he was friends with Voltaire and many other famous artist of the time........................The painter, Adolph Friedrich Erdmann von Menzel, 1815 – 1905) was a German artist noted for drawings, etchings, and paintings. Along with Caspar David Friedrich, he is considered one of the two most prominent German artists of the 19th century, and was the most successful artist of his era in Germany. His popularity in his native country, owing especially to politically propagandistic works, was such that few of his major paintings left Germany, as many were quickly acquired by museums in Berlin. Menzel's graphic works and drawings were more widely disseminated; these, along with informal paintings not initially intended for display, have largely accounted for his posthumous reputation. Although he travelled in order to find subjects for his art, to visit exhibitions, and to meet with other artists, Menzel spent most of his life in Berlin, and was, despite numerous friendships, by his own admission detached from others. It is likely that he felt socially estranged for physical reasons alone—Menzel had a large head, and stood about four foot six inches.