A lady glances at a couple leaning on a wall. Her companion stands behind, with a military sword, as does a third, enigmatic character. A seated couple in the middle ground completes this scene of gallantry on the outskirts of the city.

Goya presents a female type —an overly adorned or coquettish lady accompanied by her “suitor”, as lovers were called in the eighteenth century— that contrasts with the maja women in other cartoons such as The Hawthorn seller (P00782).

This is one of a series of tapestry cartoons (P00779-P00784) intended for the bedroom of the Prince and Princess of Asturias (the future Carlos IV and his wife Maria Luisa de Parma) at the El Pardo Palace. Its tall, narrow format indicates that it was designed for a narrow lateral area of the bedroom's decoration, probably beside a door, or a pier between windows.

Access to the series of tapestry cartoons: The Fair in Madrid (P00779); The Pottery Vendor (P00780); The Soldier and the Lady (P00781); The Hawthorn Seller (P00782); Boys playing at Soldiers (P00783); A Stickball Game (P00784).