Pedro Romero killing a standing bull

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

Scene devoted to Pedro Romero (1754-1839), one of the most admired bullfighters of Goya's time and his favourite. We see him on the left in the foreground, about to enter to kill the bull in front of him, which is logical, as the suerte de matar or suerte suprema was the one he mastered best and for which he was famous. Both the bullfighter and the bull are seen in profile, curiously illuminated between sun and shadow as they are positioned on the edge of the curved shadow cast by the unseen arena. In fact, one of the bullfighter's legs and the bull's hindquarter are powerfully illuminated because they are on this bullfighting frontier. In the background we see the barrier and some spectators behind it watching the bullfight covered with capes and hats to protect themselves from the sun.

Bagüés explains the suerte that the bullfighter is performing, a variant of the suerte de matar known as the suerte al volapié because the bullfighter entered very lightly to give the thrust. The position of the arm and the way of wielding the rapier reflect the imperfection of the technique, which had been invented a few years earlier by Costillares (1743-1800). In this connection, Lafuente Ferrari clarifies that the position of the bullfighter is not a mistake by Goya, but reflects the technical evolution of bullfighting, an opinion shared by Glendinning.

Lafuente Ferrari describes the print as sombre and at the same time luminous, clear, with a curved light that delimits the shadow in the sand and the framing of the bull and matador on the border between shadow and light. For Gassier, the sobriety of the print fits in with the sobriety of Pedro Romero's bullfighting, as this would be Goya's homage to his admired bullfighter. Martínez-Novillo, for his part, emphasises Goya's kind, affectionate and highly respectful treatment of Romero, depicting him at such a crucial and dignified moment as putting the bull to death. 

Because of the luck depicted, the work is thematically related to two other prints by Goya linked to bullfighting which depict the luck of the kill or supreme luck: A bullfighter entering to kill with a hat in his hand instead of a muleta (Bullfighting I) and A bullfighter plunges the rapier into the bull by the horn (Bullfighting L).

There is a preparatory drawing of the present print, also entitled Pedro Romero killing a standing bull.