The title, by Goya himself, references the pre-Lent festival of carnival, a topsy-turvy period of masquerades and suspended rules and hierarchies. The scene is dominated by unruly masked figures who appear to be spoiling for a brawl. Of particular note is the man swaggering into the scene from the right, carefully dressed in traditional Madrilenian costume, his face turned away: Goya had presented himself in just such a pose and outfit in one of his self-portraits. (TD 2024, translation Büro LS Anderson, Berlin)
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