Mabef Lyre Studio Easel M-11D

For over 60 years, considerable experience and innovation in the fine arts has allowed Mabef to perfect easels for different painting styles, but more importantly satisfy the needs of the most demanding artists. Mabef’s avant-garde, state-of-the-art construction techniques, guarantee the quality and consistency of production, while master craftsmanship results in easels with unparalleled function and aesthetic qualities.

Mabef Easels and accessories are constructed using solid beech wood. Beech wood is the best choice for an artist easel because it is a dense, yet lightweight, wood with a very high degree of consistency and uniformity. Because there are no soft and hard grains in the same piece of beech wood, your easel will not warp or splinter over time; and because beech wood only contains trace amounts of tannin, the wood takes on a beautiful, slightly rosé color. Properly cared for, your Mabef easel will last a lifetime, reducing the overall cost of ownership.

Every Mabef easel is designed with the artist in mind. Great care and thought goes into each design, with emphasis on ease of use during painting. An artist easel should be quickly and easily adjusted with a minimal fluid effort, so as to not distract the artist from their creative pursuits. Mabef easels use simple and durable ratchet or crank mechanisms to adjust canvas height. Both these mechanisms are very intuitive and easy to use.  Larger studio easels feature locking casters and leveling bolts for mobility, but also stability and safety as well. All hardware, including springs, screws and plates, are placed so as to avoid friction on any moving parts.

Each Mabef easel is manufactured with the utmost care and attention to quality control. Each easel features beveled corners and topsides to reduce sharp and fragile corners. Mabef easels are fitted with top quality, long lasting and durable brass hardware to increase the durability and secure adjustment of your easel. On some easels, leather handles and aluminum trays are used for their durability and ease of cleaning. Natural raw linseed oil is used to protect the finish of each Mabef easel. Linseed oil protects the beech wood without drastically changing the natural beauty of the wood and imparts a luster and beauty that only a natural material can give.

Mabef easels are constructed using solid beech wood from certified geographical areas. The beech wood is taken from woods where reforestation is immediate and under the control of local regulations and guaranteed by the Italian Forestry Commission. By observing strict ecological practices, the wood used is constantly being replaced to ensure future generations will be able to paint a forest “from life”.

Mabef’s use of beech wood is 100% recyclable and ecological. All wooden scraps, shavings, and sawdust are collected by the facilities filtration system, broken up via a very elaborate process, and transformed into small wooden pellets. These pellets are sold as a by-product to make other products and also burned as fuel to heat the manufacturing facility and offices. When burned, these pellets emit the same levels of carbon dioxide as those previously absorbed by the beech trees.