A mahlstick, or maulstick, is a stick with a soft leather or padded head used by painters to support the hand with which they hold their paintbrush. The word derives from the Dutch 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. * William-Adolphe Bouguereau holding painting implements * Self portrait of Caterina van Hemessen * Self-portrait by Sofonisba Anguissola * Portrait of Eva Gonzalès, by Édouard Manet *