A powerful female figure sits upright at the center, her body turned slightly to the left, her gaze directed outward with a calm yet commanding expression. Her right arm is bent, resting on a red drapery that spills behind her, while her left hand is clenched in a gesture of authority. She is clothed in a flowing garment of deep blue and muted brown, the folds of fabric rendered with broad, energetic brushstrokes that create a sense of movement and weight.

Beneath her, a muscular male figure lies sprawled across the lower half of the composition, his limbs twisted and his body foreshortened, suggesting defeat or subjugation. The man's skin is painted in warm, earthy tones, with subtle highlights that catch the light across his back, arm, and leg, contrasting with the cooler, shadowed areas that recede into darkness. His head is turned away, partially obscured by the shadows at the bottom of the canvas, while his right arm stretches out, fingers splayed in a gesture of tension or protest.

The background is an indistinct, smoky haze, with no clear architectural or natural setting, focusing attention on the dramatic interaction between the two figures. Light falls from the upper left, illuminating the woman's face and arm, and casting a soft glow over the drapery and the man's exposed back, while the rest of the scene dissolves into deep shadow. The composition is vertically elongated, framed by an ornate, gilded border with scrolling foliage, emphasizing the grandeur and theatricality of the scene.

Small details, such as the delicate modeling of the woman's features and the subtle gradations of color in the drapery, reveal the artist's mastery of texture and form. The dynamic contrast between the upright, composed woman and the contorted, fallen man visually enacts the opposition of reason and discord suggested by the title. Reason and Intemperate Discord is created by Peter Paul Rubens in the 1630s. The work belongs to the Royal Collection, as noted in the museum's records.