A group of Majos play cards in the country, under the shade of an awning hung in a tree. Behind them, another Majo makes signs to his companion, helping him with the game. Goya uses a new and very rich tecnique here, bringing out the contrasting lights and shadows so as to accentuate the strong realism of this cheating scene. The subject has numerous antecedents in European visual culture.

This is one of the cartoons designed by Goya for the dining room of the Prince and Princess of Asturias (the future Carlos IV and his wife Maria Luisa de Parma) at El Escorial.

Access to the series of ten tapestry cartoons destined for the dining room of the Prince and Princess of Asturias at the palace of El Pardo: Picnic on the Banks of the Manzanares (P00768); Dance on the Banks of the Manzanares (P00769); The Quarrel in the New Tavern (P00770); The Maja and the Cloaked Men or A Walk through Andalusia (P00771); The Drinker (P00772); The Parasol (P00773); The Kite (P00774); Card Players (P00775); Boys Inflating a Bladder (P00776); Boys Picking Fruit (P00777).