1-148-791 - Art Media - Biblioteque de l'Opera, Paris/Heritage Images

The temple of Isis and Osiris, The Magic Flute, 1816. Stage design by Karl Freidrich Schinkel for The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflote), showing the courtyard of the temple of Isis and Osiris where Sarastro was High Priest. The opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) with libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder (1751-1812) was first produced in Vienna in 1791. The plot has overtones of Freemasonry. Some say Queen of the Night is based on the Empress Maria Theresa (1717-1780).