Un caballero espanol mata un toro despues de haber perdido el caballo (A Spanish Knight Kills the Bull after Having Lost His Horse)

Un caballero espanol mata un toro despues de haber perdido el caballo (A Spanish Knight Kills the Bull after Having Lost His Horse) by Francisco Goya, executed in 1816, is a dramatic example of the Spanish master’s late graphic output. This piece is a first edition impression utilizing etching, burnished aquatint, and burin techniques. The subject, focusing intensely on the moment a dismounted knight faces the charging bull, is an essential component of Goya’s renowned Tauromaquia portfolio, a series dedicated to chronicling the historical development and visceral intensity of bullfighting.

Goya’s selection of medium allows him to manipulate light and shadow to amplify the danger. His skillful use of burnished aquatint creates deep, velvety shadows that heighten the tension, while the precise line work added by the burin emphasizes the immediacy and physical struggle. Unlike earlier, more stylized depictions of the sport, Goya captures an act of extreme peril and desperate heroism. Created during the politically and socially turbulent years spanning 1801 to 1825, Goya frequently employed the graphic print medium to explore themes of violence, folly, and the essential character of the Spanish people.

The print depicts a critical moment in the ancient tradition of rejoneo, where a mounted cavalier, having lost his advantage, must confront the animal on foot. This composition underscores the violence inherent in the spectacle, characteristic of Goya's later, darker sensibilities. As a set of powerful prints intended for wider distribution, these works secured Goya’s legacy as a graphic innovator across Europe. This significant impression of Un caballero espanol mata un toro despues de haber perdido el caballo resides in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art, serving as a key document of the artist’s late period and his unflinching gaze at Spanish culture.