Sir Kenelm Digby (1603-1665), Naval commander, diplomat and scientist

Sitter associated with 24 portraits
Naval commander, diplomat and scientist, Digby, 'the most accomplished cavalier of his time', was sent by Charles I to ask for the Pope's help in the Civil War. An early member of the Royal Society, he was renowned for his tall stories and for his 'sympathetic powder', said to cure wounds when applied to the weapon which had inflicted them. His prolific writings include an attack on Sir Thomas Browne's Religio Medici, and collections of culinary and medicinal recipes.