<p>Ludovico Dolce's Dialogo della pittura first appeared in Venice in 1557. L'Aretino, by which the work is known today, consists of a three-part dialogue between two Venetians, Aretino and Fabrini, on the particular merits of works of art and artists, including Michaelangelo, Raphael, and Donatello. It is based largely on Aretino's letters.</p><p>The edition is presented in the original Italian with English facing-page translation. </p><p>This study of early art criticism serves to reveal something of how aesthetics were judged based on classical sources (especially Aristotle) and contemporary writers like Vasari.