A muscular man dressed in a vivid red cloth grapples with a lion, forcing open its jaws with both hands. The man’s body twists in a dynamic pose, his left knee braced on the lion’s chest while his right leg extends behind him, anchoring his weight. His face is contorted in effort, with furrowed brows and tightly clenched teeth, as he looks down at the beast he subdues.

The lion, its mane rendered in swirling golden brushstrokes, lies on its back with its paws raised in a futile struggle. Light falls strongly on the man’s torso and arms, highlighting the tension in his muscles and casting deep shadows along his limbs and the lion’s body. The background features a rocky outcrop and dense foliage, painted in loose, energetic strokes that contrast with the precise modeling of the figures in the foreground.

The palette is dominated by warm flesh tones, ochres, and the striking red of the man’s garment, with cooler greens and browns in the landscape behind. The composition is tightly focused on the struggle, with the figures filling nearly the entire canvas and only a glimpse of sky visible through the trees. Every detail, from the lion’s sharp claws to the veins on the man’s arms, is rendered with energetic, confident brushwork.

The man’s red drapery billows outward, adding a sense of motion and drama to the scene. The lion’s open mouth and bared teeth are painted with particular attention, emphasizing the danger and violence of the encounter. The setting is wild and untamed, with twisted tree trunks and dense undergrowth framing the action. This work, titled Samson fighting the lion, is created by Peter Paul Rubens in 1628.

Samson fighting the lion is recognized as a work of religious art.