Figino, or On the Purpose of Painting: Art Theory in the Late Renaissance

Comanini's work on the purpose of painting, "Il Figino overo del fine della Pittura" (1591), is one of the many treatises written in Italy during the Counter-Reformation.

Although the importance of "Il Figino" has long been recognized, the text has remained largely inaccessible to many scholars throughout the world.

This complete English translation will make the work available to those readers.;In "Il Figino", Comanini addresses all of the most hotly debated aesthetic issues of the time, drawing on an array of classical, medieval and renaissance sources, including Plato, Aristotle, Horace, Mazzoni, Tasso and Paleotti.