Benjamin Cuyp specialized in narrative, including 'low-life' scenes of everyday life or biblical scenes. Here we are witnessing a brawl between peasants. The light background and the solid mass of the building on the right push the action right into the foreground, as if we have come round the corner and walked right into a sudden, dangerous situation. The raised hand of the figure in the centre takes us directly down to look at the victim, then we see the faces of the onlookers to left and right, which bring drama to the scene.

Cuyp lived in Dordrecht in the Netherlands and was part of a family of artists. He worked rapidly using very liquid paint, with swift brushstrokes and a restricted palette of colours, including brown, yellow-brown, dull greens with an occasional rust red.

During the 17th century a rich, merchant class developed in the Netherlands, spending its wealth on material goods such as food, drink, fine clothes and furnishings. They were also passionate about paintings and would buy them to hang on their walls. Everyday life subjects, such as this one, were popular.