Schmincke began in 1881, when the color chemists Josef Horadam and Hermann Schmincke searched and found Professor Cesare Mussini at the Academy in Florence, still preserving old family recipes of the finest natural resin-oil-colors.

Those recipes became the basis for the initial and immediately successful program of the Schmincke color-manufacturing plant, while other suppliers continued to make the more simple oil colors without resins.

Throughout the years, Schmincke has expanded its product offering to include a variety of oil painting materials, watercolors, and pastels.

Four generations after its founding, the Schmincke tradition continues, supplying the finest color materials for the demanding artists. The founders' motto still holds true today: "MELIORA COGITO - I strive for the best."