A circle of ten Majos and Majas play blind man's buff on the banks of what may be the Manzanares River. This work is the only sketch for the cartoon Goya painted for a series of playful and gay tapestries intended for the bedroom of the Infantas —the daughters of the future Carlos IV (1748-1819) and María Luisa de Parma (1751-1818)— at Madrid's El Pardo Palace.

Originally titled “The ladle game” because of the wooden spoon held by the blindfolded youth , this game was very common during that period as both popular and noble entertainment and was often used as the subject of rococo paintings.

Goya received the commission for the cartoon in 1778, the same year that Carlos III (1716-1788) died. His death led the Royal Family to move to other Royal Seats, including the palaces of La Granja, Aranjuez and El Escorial. As a result, the series was never finished.

The corresponding cartoon is also in the Prado Museum collection (P804).

In 1799, this work belonged to the family of the Duke of Osuna. At the auction of their belongings, it was acquired by Pedro Fernández Durán, who bequeathed it to the Prado Museum in 1931.