Flute Concert with Frederick the Great in Sanssouci, Adolph Menzel
Link is to zoomable version on Google Art Project; downloadable file on Wikimedia Commons; original is in the Alte Nationalgalerie, National Museums in Berlin.
The ostensible subject, Frederick the Great — about whom Menzel painted a series of works — is almost lost among the other spectators, and overshadowed by the the striking presence of the soloist. [Correction: turns out I jumped to conclusions based on my lack of background knowledge. The flute player is Frederick the Great. See the comment on this post by Levantine.]
The real star of the painting, though, is the resplendent candlelight cascading down from the crystal chandelier — reflected in the ornate mirror and sweeping through the richly textured composition — where it is echoed by the glow of the individual candles amid the ensemble.
A tour-de-force of interior light.
