The courageous Moor Gazul is the first one to lance bulls properly

See How the ancient Spaniards hunted bulls on horseback in the countryside

The print is part of the subgroup, within the group of "historical" scenes of bullfighting (Nos. 1-11), dedicated to the bullfighting of the Moors (Nos. 3-8 and 17). It depicts a fight scene between the Moor Gazul, who is on horseback, and a bull that is charging him. Gazul is stabbing the bull with both hands with a spear that pierces through the bull's lower part. The horse has one of its hind legs practically bent and is turned, looking at the bull. Goya uses a marked contrast of light, with very marked light and shadow, against a totally white background.

Gazul has been depicted as a Turk or Mamluk of the Napoleonic army. There is no agreement on the historicity of this character, who some authors place at the court of the king of Seville in the years 1050-1090, and others relate to legendary Moorish romances set in Granada in the 15th-century. 

Lafuente Ferrari classifies this scene among those that narrate the beginnings of bullfighting and considers that it would illustrate the famous bullfighting text by Nicolás F. de Moratín, as well as comparing the posture of the protagonist with that of How the ancient Spaniards hunted bulls on horseback in the countryside.

Martínez-Novillo links this print with others of a chivalric theme, such as  Charles V lancing a bull in the bullring of Valladolid. 

Several authors, including Harris, Gassier and Lafuente Ferrari, state that there is a previous drawing of this print, also entitled The courageous Moor Gazul is the first one to lance bulls properly, which belonged to Yriarte and was published in the magazine L'Art (1877, volume II, p. 79), but whose whereabouts are unknown at present.

Tomlinson relates the print to Manet's painting Victorin Meurent in Sword Costume, in which the scene of the engraving appears in the background of the portrait..