JOSEPH BRECHEISEN (AUSTRIAN, FL. C. 1748-1764)

Frederick II of Prussia, better known as Frederick the Great, was the eldest son of Frederick William I of Prussia and Sophia Dorothea of Hanover. As such, he was a grandson of King George I of the United Kingdom. In 1733, his father arranged for him to marry Elisabeth Christina of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern, but their marriage was unhappy and childless. Multi-lingual and a talented flautist, Frederick was a great proponent of the arts. He maintained a lengthy correspondence with Voltaire and commissioned many of Germany's most famous Rococo buildings, including the Palace of Sanssouci, the New Palace and the Berlin State Opera.