Pierre Révoil, a learned painter and collector of artworks from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, endeavoured to produce a detailed reconstruction of a mediaeval tournament in this large composition. He chose to depict a jousting tournament which took place in Rennes in 1337, with the participation of the young Bertrand du Guesclin in anonymous armour, going against the will of his father, who had prohibited it. The painter chose the moment at which the last man to fall manages to raise the victor's visor to reveal his identity. In the foreground, a herald sounds the victory call, while one of the four judges brandishes a silver swan, the trophy for the jousting victory, in the background. Decor, costumes, accessories, suits of armour, the motto inscribed on the spectators' box – every detail is carefully chosen and rendered by the artist. The composition, centred on the brightly-lit hero, makes an extensive use of contrast and enhances the dramatic nature of the scene.

This painting is characteristic of the "anecdotal genre", or "troubadour " style, which Révoil created at the beginning of the 19th century, along with friend and colleague from Lyon Fleury Richard. They took inspiration for their subjects from the nation's past, whose high point was the Age of Chivalry. This reconstruction is intended to be archaeological, and the painter used some objects from his private collection as models. The artist also took inspiration for the reconstruction of this scene from a renowned mediaeval manuscript, the Livre des Tournois by René d’Anjou (King René's Tournament Book), illuminated by Barthélemy d’Eyck, which he drew on for numerous details.