A richly dressed man in ornate armor rides a powerful brown horse that rears up dramatically at the center of the scene. The rider, with curled hair and a trimmed beard, turns his head toward the viewer and wears a red sash that billows behind him. His right arm is bent as he holds the reins tightly, while his left hand rests on his hip, displaying a confident and commanding posture.

The horse’s head is turned to the left, its mouth open, nostrils flared, and its muscles and veins rendered with energetic brushstrokes. A winged figure hovers in the air above and behind the rider, reaching forward with one arm extended and the other holding a golden object, its body painted with loose, fluid lines. Below the horse’s raised forelegs, an older male figure with flowing gray hair and beard grips a trident, while beside him a bare-chested female figure sits with her arms crossed over her knees, her gaze turned upward.

The background suggests a broad landscape with a body of water and distant flags or standards, all painted in muted tones that contrast with the vivid reds and golds of the rider’s attire. Soft, golden light falls from the upper left, illuminating the rider’s face and armor and casting subtle shadows across the horse’s body. The paint surface reveals rapid, expressive brushwork, especially in the rendering of the sky, the figures’ hair, and the flowing fabrics.

The composition leads the viewer’s attention from the base, where the two lower figures cluster, upward along the horse’s arched neck to the rider and the airborne figure above. Equestrian Portrait of the Duke of Buckingham is created by Peter Paul Rubens in 1625.