The quality of this oil painting which Matías Díaz Padrón attributed to the Flemish painter Paul de Vos allows us to establish a comparison with other works by the same artist in other collections, such as the Stag Hunt or Hounds Attacking a Bull, both in the Prado Museum in Madrid. His services were in great demand from the aristocracy of his day, and he specialised mostly in representations of hunting scenes and still lifes.

This scene is animated with dynamic movement, a compositional feature that was a signature of this Flemish painter who has been connected with Frans Snyders (1579-1657) and Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640). Likewise, the anatomical depiction of the animals reveals the dexterity of an artist who, with precise fine brushwork, charged with tension and agility, achieved a mastery in his trade superior even to that of his own master Snyders.

The bull at the centre of the composition is trying to defend itself from the attacks of a pack of hounds which has surrounded it. One of them has been tossed into the air, unable to dodge the bull’s horns, while the others are poised offensively, their jaws bared and ready to spring on the bull at any moment.

The painting boasts a heightened sense of naturalism, strength and expressiveness that de Vos masterfully resolves in certain details, like the dogs’ bloodshot eyes and open mouths that inevitably draw the beholder’s attention. The natural posture of the animals speaks of an intense prior task of drawing and observation of the represented motif.