A maulstick or mahlstick is a stick with a soft

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning (leather), tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffal ...

or padded head used by painters to support the working hand with a

paintbrush A paintbrush is a brush used to apply paint or ink. A paintbrush is usually made by clamping bristles to a handle with a ferrule. They are available in various sizes, shapes, and materials. Thicker ones are used for filling in, and thinner ones ...

or pen. The word derives from the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

and

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

''Malstock'' or ''maalstok'' 'painting 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

File:Bouguereau Portrait du peintre 1895.jpg,

William-Adolphe Bouguereau William-Adolphe Bouguereau (; 30 November 1825 – 19 August 1905) was a French Academic art, academic painter. In his realistic genre paintings, he used mythological themes, making modern interpretations of Classicism, classical subjects, with a ...

holding painting implements File:Hemessen-Selbstbildnis.jpg, Self portrait of Caterina van Hemessen File:Self-portrait at the Easel Painting a Devotional Panel by Sofonisba Anguissola.jpg, Self-portrait by

Sofonisba Anguissola Sofonisba Anguissola ( – 16 November 1625), also known as Sophonisba Angussola or Sophonisba Anguisciola, was an Italian Renaissance painter born in Cremona to a relatively poor noble family. She received a well-rounded education that ...

File:Porträt der Eva Gonzalés im Atelier Manets (1870) - Edouard Manet.jpg, ''Portrait of

Eva Gonzalès Eva Gonzalès (19 April 1849 – 6 May 1883) was a French Impressionist painter. She was one of the four most notable female Impressionists in the nineteenth century, along with Mary Cassatt (1844–1926), Berthe Morisot (1841–95), and Mari ...

'', by

Édouard Manet Édouard Manet (, ; ; 23 January 1832 – 30 April 1883) was a French Modernism, modernist painter. He was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life, as well as a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism (art movement), R ...

File:Johannes Vermeer - The Art of Painting (detail) - WGA24677.jpg, Detail of Vermeer's '' The Art of Painting'' with artist using mahlstick File:The Artist - Maurits Cornelis Escher - working at his Atelier (50385403156).jpg,

M. C. Escher Maurits Cornelis Escher (; ; 17 June 1898 – 27 March 1972) was a Dutch graphic artist who made woodcuts, lithography, lithographs, and mezzotints, many of which were Mathematics and art, inspired by mathematics. Despite wide popular int ...

using a mahlstick while working on Sphere Surface with Fish (1958)

References

*{{1911, wstitle=Maulstick, volume=17, page=904 Painting materials