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A group of spectators looking out from their box in the Maestranza, Seville's popular bullring, watch what appears - from the evident gesticulations - to be a dramatic moment in the bullfight taking place on the left. Although the action falls outside the spectator's field of vision, the bull must have charged at and toppled the picador, as evidenced by the galloping horse that has broken loose (and the one that lies gored on the right-hand side). This atmosphere is heightened by the lively presence of the crowd in the background. The figures in the box are notable for their variety of expressions and gestures of all kinds, ranging from the one standing on the rush chair and hugging the column, who emphasises the verticality of this element of the composition, to the one on the far left peering through a small pair of binoculars and about to stand on his own chair.
The ring of boxes was not completed by the architect Juan Talavera until 1880, allowing the artist to present a picturesque view of Seville Cathedral.
A Pass in the Bullring was entered with two other works in the National Exhibition of Fine Arts of 1871, where it earned a medal (third-class).
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