Paul de la Honne

Paul de la Honne had a habit of biting his quill pen while he worked, leaving ink-stained teeth marks on the wood. He made his living printing official portraits for Europe’s courts, but his real thrill was sneaking tiny jokes into the engravings—like a servant’s face that looks suspiciously like the king’s mistress. If you want to see his sharpest needlework, look up Isabella Clara Eugenie of Austria up close; the lace alone took him weeks to carve.