From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englisheaselea‧sel /ˈiːzəl/ noun [countable] 
AVPa wooden frame that you put a painting on while you paint it
AVPa wooden frame that you put a painting on while you paint itExamples from the Corpus
easel• He was seated at an easel.• A cup stand consists of an easel to display the saucer of the cup sitting before it.• In one dim corner of the little box he thought he could see an easel, and a tiny unmade bed.• Margarett got the children to paint, and in the ease of the country even Shaw set up an easel.• The conference room was composed of a large 11-shaped table with chairs, several flip chart easels, and a coffee pot.• Paul Collins uses various brushes, portable easels and aluminum frames to keep his canvas stretched.• The maps were in rolls on an architect's easel in the corner of the office.• The painting on the easel is a portrait.Origin easel (1500-1600) Dutch ezel “donkey”; because an easel carries a painting as a donkey carries a person 