The Muller Insights into Practical Artistic Knowledge through Re-Making Experiments

This essay argues that investigations into objects from the past benefit from a move beyond reading and looking, discussing how multi-sensory experiences help unpack the black box of historical artistic practice. The essay focuses on the muller, an object that played a central role in historical painting, as it was used to grind pigment in oil. As evident from historical written sources (c.1580–1900), handling the muller required skill and an intimate knowledge of the various pigment properties. This essay not only unravels written advice on how to use a muller but also reconstructs that advice. Such a reconstruction allows us to examine the influence of mulling on pigment particle size and paint flow properties.