Carlo Riccabone

Carlo Riccabone kept a tiny mirror in his pocket and painted his self-portraits from life every Thursday, rain or shine. He liked to joke that he was "the slowest painter in Rome" because his brushstrokes often took days to dry. His most famous trick was hiding a tiny version of himself in the corner of every painting, watching the scene like a quiet co-pilot. Hunt down his *Self-Portrait with a Mirror* (1695) in a quiet corner—stand close enough and you might spot the secret cameo just past the velvet curtain.