For three generations, Da Vinci has created the highest quality artist and specialty brushes. Today, the family owned business offers the largest selection of artist brushes in the world. Each brush is crafted with pride to Da Vinci's exacting standards. Using the finest raw materials available, skilled brushmakers draw on centuries-old wisdom and input from contemporary professional artists. Utilizing the latest technical innovations, they create brushes of unsurpassed beauty, quality, and endurance.

Hans-Friedrich Defet was well-educated in the traditions of brushmaking, learning from both his grandfather and father the history of brushmaking in Nuremberg, Germany. Until the end of the 17th century, each artist had to make his own painting tools. During the 18th century, an ambitious crafts guild started to master the art of brush binding, relieving the artist of this burden. As this guild increased its expertise through experience and experimentation, the young trade was soon booming in the commercial town of Nuremberg. The city soon gained a worldwide reputation for brushmaking.

As time progressed, Da Vinci brushes gained a reputation as the leader in quality brushmaking. Mr. Defet had an ideal for his brushes - properly made, a natural hair brush should have excellent colour holding capacity, a lively elasticity, and should quickly regain the original shape the brushmaker formed when new paint is absorbed. These features result in a highly precise, elastic instrument. This performance has made Da Vinci the first choice among accomplished artists. By selecting only the finest quality hair, the brush can be used delicately or aggressively and gives the artist optimum results whether he is a realist painter or an abstractionist. Selecting the right hair is of the utmost importance for this flexibility.

At the beginning of the new millennium, Da Vinci began building a new factory from the ground up. It is the most modern brush factory in the world today.

In the sun-filled rooms of the Da Vinci factory, production masters, interns, and apprentices sit at their marble working tables learning the skills of brushmaking. Visitors to the facility often express surprise at the calm atmosphere not usually found in a "factory." They often compare it to a laboratory or studio, as the silence of concentration prevails, interrupted only by occasional consultation and conversation.

Also heard throughout the factory is a rhythmic tapping somewhere between Dixieland jazz and marching music. The origin of this tapping is a small brass case which the brush maker fills with the hair or bristle needed for a brush. The brass case is then drummed on the marble table until each hair settles to the bottom. This handmade shape has always been and will always be the most vital feature of quality in a good artist brush.

The gluing of the brush hairs into the ferrule is done by a dosing machine. Then the ferrule is filled with a modern component-glue. After the drying and curing process, all the hairs are firmly positioned. Da Vinci uses nickel- and gold-plated brass ferrules, which are rust resistant.

Before leaving the factory, each brush is carefully checked to make sure the finishing of the brush-head is impeccable and the ferrule is firmly attached to the handle. Carefully packaged, it will begin its journey, perhaps over mountains and oceans, to one of Da Vinci's loyal customers making art in the wide, wide world.

Combining age old natural hair brushmaking techniques with the latest technology for synthetic brushes, the perfect synthesis has been achieved in Da Vinci's brushes for today's modern masters and inspired amateurs.