In The Masque of Beauty, the "daughters of Niger" of the earlier piece were shown cleansed of the black pigment they had worn on the prior occasion.
Like its earlier companion piece, The Masque of Beauty was performed by Queen Anne and ladies of her court, and witnessed by King James.
"[3] A black curtain representing Night was withdrawn to display the masquers, assembled on a "Throne of Beauty" borne upon a floating island.
A diplomatic controversy developed around the masque, as to which foreign ambassadors were or were not invited to attend the performance.
[4] The Venetian ambassador Zorzi Giustinian, who was invited, was among the spectators who left descriptions of the "great golden masque" they'd seen, the jewels the ladies wore, and the marvels of the stage machinery employed.
[10] The Spanish ambassador invited the fifteen gentlewomen who had performed in the masque to dinner at the end of the month.