Sir John Donne (probably born in 1420s – 1503) was a Welsh courtier, diplomat and soldier, a notable figure of the Yorkist party. In the 1470s he commissioned the Donne Triptych, an triptych altarpiece by Hans Memling now in the National Gallery, London. It contains portraits of him, his wife Elizabeth and a daughter. He may well have been related to the Jacobean poet John Donne, although not as a direct ancestor, as he had no Donne grandchildren.
Read more about Sir John Donne: Family and Early Career, Calais and The Continent, Diplomacy, Later Life, Source
Famous quotes containing the words sir john and/or donne:
“They warsled up, they warsled down,
Till Sir John fell to the ground,
And there was a knife in Sir Willie’s pouch,
Gied him a deadlie wound.”
—Unknown. The Twa Brothers (l. 5–8)
“At most, the greatest persons are but great wens, and excrescences; men of wit and delightfull conversation, but as moales for ornament, except they be so incorporated into the body of the world that they contribute something to the sustentation of the whole.”
—John Donne (c. 1572–1631)