Plate 27 from the ‘Tauromaquia’: The celebrated picador, Fernando del Toro, draws the fierce beast on with his pike

Description

In The celebrated picador, Fernando del Toro, draws the fierce beast on with his pike, a mounted picador faces a bull with his pike extended, drawing the animal into a controlled but dangerous meeting. Francisco Goya identifies the rider as Fernando del Toro in this scene from La Tauromaquia. The long weapon creates a connection between the opposing bodies, making distance itself an active element in the encounter.

Published in 1816 as plate 27, the etching, aquatint and drypoint give horse, rider and bull a concentrated presence. Goya’s title emphasizes the performer’s ability to draw the beast toward him, joining confidence to exposure. The scene’s tension lies in the narrow margin between directing an attack and becoming its object. Its appeal comes from that poised relationship, where a practiced maneuver must still accommodate the independent force of the animal it seeks to control.

Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Goya collection.