1-148-858 - Art Media/Heritage Images

Costume design for Papegena, 1913. Papegena, the little wife that Papegeno, the bird catcher, has longed for. A character in The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflote), the opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) with libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder (1751-1812) which was first produced in Vienna in 1791. The plot has overtones of Freemasonry. Some say the Queen of the Night is based on the Empress Maria Theresa (1717-1780). Design for a 1913 production at the Paris Opera. From the Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris.