Francisco de Holanda’s Dialogues record Michelangelo’s participation in art discussions hosted by Vittoria Colonna, revealing his thoughts and world as he painted The Last Judgement.

The Dialogues by Portuguese painter and writer Francisco de Holanda give unprecedented insight into the opinions, preoccupations and character of Michelangelo, already in his lifetime the most celebrated and influential artist in Europe. These Dialogues record his participation in the discussions about art hosted by Vittoria Colonna, his closest friend. Michelangelo’s opinions and ambitions during the period when he was painting The Last Judgement come vividly to life, as does the world in which he moved. No other text brings us so close to Michelangelo the artist, poet and thinker. The Dialogues are presented here in the classic translation by Charles Holroyd, painter, engraver, art historian and director of the National Gallery. The introduction by David Hemsoll situates the Dialogues in the context of Michelangelo’s career and the artistic world in Rome. Many of Holanda’s rarely seen drawings from the album he created of his Italian journeys are reproduced here, giving a vivid impression of the appearance of Rome in the sixteenth century. They are accompanied by a number of Michelangelo’s studies and finished drawings.