Orazio Bianchi was born in Rome in the last quarter of the 17th century, and studied law under Giovanni Vincenzo Gravina, becoming a friend of Pietro Metastasio and a member of the Accademia dei Quirini.
[2] In 1722, he was asked by the Ambrosian librarian, Giuseppe Antonio Sassi, to compare manuscript versions of the Historia miscella of Paul the Deacon with current printed editions.
[5] Delays in the production process from 1733 led to Bianchi being put on half pay,[6] so he found a role in the Duchy of Milan's administration, culminating in his appointment as secretary of the Royal Council.
He practised as a lawyer, and eventually held the posts of Professor of Municipal Law, Auditor General of the armies of the emperor in Italy, and perpetual Podestà of Milan.
[1] He continued to involve himself with literary scholarship, working with Argelati on his anthology of Latin poets, where he provided Italian translations of the poetry of Statius[7] and of Claudian[8] under the pseudonym Academico Quirino.