Leonardo Quirini

Leonardo Quirini (17th century) was an Italian nobleman and Marinist poet.

Biography
Leonardo Quirini was born into a Venetian patrician family. He was educated by the Somaschi Fathers. A friend of Giovanni Francesco Loredan he was a member of the Accademia degli Incogniti. He wrote madrigals on amorous themes, which tread a cautious path between Torquato Tasso and Giambattista Marino. His poetry is influenced by the work of Chiabrera and the classicists. His verse collection was published in 1649 with the title Vezzi d'Erato. It includes an idyll, Il Narciso, already published in Venice in 1612. The book was illustrated with a frontispiece by Luciano Borzone. Quirini was a friend of the painter Tiberio Tinelli. He composed a poem on a portrait that Tinelli had made of him. Many of his lyrics are included in Benedetto Croce's influential anthology of Baroque poetry.