The present work is inspired by a print of the same title that Ensor executed in 1889, both works reflecting Ensor's love of masques of travesty.

However mysterious Ensor's fantasies might seem, these creations are not without their foundations in reality. Together with his friend Ernst Rousseau, whom he met through the painter Theo Hannon, Ensor organised regular masquerades which he photographed and then used as an inspiration for his paintings.

The present composition depicts a theatrical scene with the protagonists being introduced to us as though the artist wants to be the puppet-master presenting his creatures to the public.