Where can I see Women playing at cross-dressing?

Women playing at cross-dressing is held by Cleveland Museum of Art.

What movement is Women playing at cross-dressing?

Women playing at cross-dressing is associated with Rococo painting.

Artwork

Women playing at cross-dressing

Women playing at cross-dressing is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1696 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The work depicts a domestic interior with a tiled floor where five women are gathered.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

This scene illustrates a festive tradition where women temporarily assumed male roles, symbolizing social inversion and playful commentary on gender norms.

The painting shows women engaged in a game of mockery, dressed in male attire, using stick props to mimic a game of stick-hoop. This scene illustrates a festive tradition where women temporarily assumed male roles, symbolizing social inversion and playful commentary on gender norms. The work is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

The subject reflects a carnival-like ritual in which female participants subverted everyday gender expectations through humorous imitation of male behavior, using stick props to enact a stylized game. This inversion served as a socially sanctioned release of tension, highlighting both the fluidity of gender performance and the communal celebration of role reversal.

History & Provenance

The painting Women playing at cross-dressing is dated to 1690 and is attributed to an unknown artist. It entered the Cleveland Museum of Art in 2013, where it is recorded under accession number 2013.290. No earlier ownership, commission, or detailed provenance information is provided in the available sources.

Overview

The work depicts a domestic interior with a tiled floor where five women are gathered. One figure stands, holding a fan, while the others sit on a low platform dressed in long robes and head coverings. A small table bears red flowers and a mirror, and through an opening two birds are visible on the ground beside a building. The surrounding border is adorned with stylized flowers and foliage in vivid reds, blues and greens.

Technique & Style

Rendered in oil on canvas, the composition balances interior space with a decorative border that frames the central scene. The artist employs a bright palette for the border, contrasting with the more subdued tones of the interior. Attention to textile detail and the reflective surface of the mirror demonstrates a concern for surface texture and light.

Context

Cross‑dressing motifs appear in various 17th‑ and 18th‑century European paintings, often reflecting social amusements or moralizing narratives. The inclusion of birds outside the interior may allude to freedom or the natural world juxtaposed with the controlled, ornamental setting inside.

Artist & collection

Museum

Cleveland Museum of Art

Continue through works from the same source collection.