Charles V spearing a bull in the ring at Valladolid, plate 10 from "La Tauromaquia"

In the pictureIn an empty bullring, a knight in a plumed helmet rides a horse and drives his lance down into a bull. The bull charges in beneath the horse, and the horse rears with its forelegs raised. The background is gray, lighter at the top and darker at the bottom, with no spectators or buildings. The plate number "10" is printed in the paper margin.

BackgroundThe early plates of La Tauromaquia cover the history of bullfighting, and this scene shows the legend that Charles V, the 16th-century Holy Roman Emperor (King Charles I of Spain), killed a bull himself at Valladolid. Following the series, you can see the difference between the old bullfighting, in which noblemen faced the bull on horseback with lances, and that of Goya's day, when professional bullfighters fought on foot. Aquatint laid over the etched lines adds gray tones, creating a sense of light coming down from above.

Puzzle tipMost of the image is in gray tones, so solve it by shape. The pieces of the horse, the knight and the bull have strong black lines and are easy to pick out, and the background divides into lighter gray at the top and darker gray at the bottom. It helps to place the edges first, using the paper margin and the pieces with the plate border.