Bulls Fighting, with a View of Donatt's Castle, Glamorganshire

James Ward's Bulls Fighting, with a View of Donatt's Castle, Glamorganshire, painted in 1803, combines his two specialties of animal painting and landscape in a dramatic composition. Ward was one of the most ambitious British animal painters, who aspired to elevate the genre to the level of history painting. His monumental depictions of bulls and horses, set in dramatic landscapes, pushed animal painting toward the Romantic sublime.

The oil on canvas shows Ward's powerful rendering of animal anatomy in violent action, with the fighting bulls depicted with muscular energy and dramatic force. The Welsh landscape background adds grandeur to the scene, while the dramatic lighting heightens the sense of natural struggle.