Ballarat-born artist Hilda Rix attended the National Gallery of Victoria School in Melbourne before travelling to Europe in 1907, where she was exposed to the work of the Post Impressionists and the Fauves. She was to take the name of her first husband, who was killed in WW1.

The masquerade is a celebration of colour and shows Rix's fascination with exotic costumes, many of which she collected in her travels. The animated application of the paint gives the work a spontaneous feel and hints at the gay party life of an artist of that time.