A muscular figure in a red drapery dominates the center, raising an arm to strike a white bull that is being restrained by another man at the left, whose blue garment slips from his shoulder as he grips the animal's head. To the right, a woman in a golden robe recoils in alarm, while another figure in white, kneeling, thrusts a torch toward a toppled idol that lies on the ground amid broken fragments. A child sits at the lower right, gazing upward, surrounded by the scattered remains of a sculpted figure and a golden vessel.

Above the main group, two winged putti hover, holding up a garland of fruit and greenery that frames the upper edge of the scene. The setting is a grand architectural niche, flanked by spiral columns and heavy entablature, painted to resemble stone and marble, with deep recesses and sculptural ornament. Rubens uses sweeping, energetic brushstrokes to model the figures and drapery, blending rich reds, blues, and golds with creamy highlights and deep shadows to heighten the sense of movement and drama.

The composition is tightly packed, with bodies twisting and overlapping, leading the viewer's gaze in a circular motion around the central sacrificial act and the fallen idol. Every detail, from the taut muscles of the executioners to the curling hair of the putti, is rendered with a sense of urgency and theatricality. The Prado's record notes that the panel depicts sculpture, visible in the shattered idol at the lower right and the architectural setting that frames the scene.