Maulstick

Painter's stick used to support working hand
Closeup image of maulstick being used by painter

A maulstick or mahlstick /ˈmɔːlstɪk/ MAWL-stik[1] is a stick with a soft leather or padded head used by painters to support the working hand with a paintbrush or pen. The word derives from the German and Dutch Malstock or maalstok 'painter's stick', from malen 'to paint'.

In 16th- through 19th-century paintings of artists, including self-portraits, the maulstick is often depicted as part of the painter's equipment.

Gallery

  • William-Adolphe Bouguereau holding painting implements
    William-Adolphe Bouguereau holding painting implements
  • Self portrait of Caterina van Hemessen
    Self portrait of Caterina van Hemessen
  • Self-portrait by Sofonisba Anguissola
    Self-portrait by Sofonisba Anguissola
  • Portrait of Eva Gonzalès, by Édouard Manet
    Portrait of Eva Gonzalès, by Édouard Manet
  • Detail of Vermeer's The Art of Painting with artist using mahlstick
    Detail of Vermeer's The Art of Painting with artist using mahlstick

References

  1. ^ "maulstick". Collins English Dictionary (13th ed.). HarperCollins. 2018. ISBN 0-008-28437-7.
  •  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Maulstick". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 904.