Pastime in Portugal or a Visit to the Nunnerys

Christian cloistered convents traditionally delineate space by sex. In an 1811 print by Thomas Rowlandson, he depicts the grille, an architectural feature integral to maintaining the boundary. The grille is a barred gate that separates the monastery from the nun's quarters. Nuns greet visitors or converse with monastery officials through the barriers. In Pastime in Portugal or a Visit to the Nunnerys British officers meet four nuns at the gate. The younger officer gazes at the young nuns, each illustrated with rosy cheeks. In sharp contrast, the elder figures are given harsh, jagged facial features. Rowlandson was a popular caricaturist and cartoonist during the Georgian era in Great Britain. His erotically charged prints of cloisters often feature sex acts committed through the grille.

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