I was wondering how to connect Sir Francis Bacon (the 16th century statesman and philosopher), to Francis Bacon (the 20th century artist).

Yes, according to Wikipedia “it is believed [Francis Bacon’s] father was a direct descendant of Sir Nicholas Bacon, elder half-brother of Sir Francis Bacon”—but what’s the fun in that? And there’s this, but that’s different.

Based on cursory research, it turns out there are just four degrees of separation…

1. Sir Francis Bacon was a confidential adviser to Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex.
2. Charlton Heston portrayed Essex in the 1968 TV series Elizabeth The Queen.
3. Sophia Loren starred in the Academy Award-winning film El Cid with Heston.
4. In 2007 Loren auctioned Bacon’s 1956 painting Study for Portrait II for a record $27.5 million.

So there.

Original photographs by Paul Popper, left, and John Deakin.

For SSED.