da Vinci - The largest selection of artist brushes in the world.

“We are very interested in the life of our brushes, which are often cared for until only the last tuft of hair remains. They live a life full of work and color. Being in regular contact with the requirements of artists is something we particularly enjoy. In our gallery, open for over 40 years to young paint-ers from all over Europe, we often experience vivid discussions about bold painting techniques and technical methods of working. We always try to come out of these discussions with new ideas for our brush production. Leonardo da Vinci is the ideal for the quality of our brushes which is based on the rich experiences the brush factories in Nuremberg have had for many generations, and which I have gratefully taken over from my grandfather and father.”
- Hans-Friedrich Defet, Owner of da Vinci.

For three generations, da Vinci has created the highest quality art-ist and specialty brushes. Today, our 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 best raw materials available, skilled brush makers draw on centuries-old wisdom and input from contemporary professional artists. Utilizing the latest technical innovations, we create brushes of unsurpassed beauty, quality and endurance.

Hans-Friedrich Defet was well educated in the traditions of brush making, 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 their 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 their 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 brush making.

As time progressed, da Vinci brushes gained a reputation as the leader in quality brush making. Mr. Defet had an ideal for his brushes - properly made, a natural hair brush should have excellent color holding capacity, a lively elasticity and should quickly regain the original shape the brush maker 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 (which varies greatly if one is not careful), the brush can be used delicately or aggressively and give the artist optimum results whether they are a realist painter or an abstractionist. Selecting the right hair is of the utmost importance for this flexibility.

In the sun filled rooms of our factory, production masters, interns and apprentices sit at their marble working tables learning the skills of brush making. 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 pre-vials, interrupted only by occasional consultation and conversation. Also heard is a rhythmic tapping somewhere between Dixieland jazz and marching music. The origin of this tapping comes from a small brass case which the brush maker fills with hair or bristle needed for the requested brush. The brass case is then drummed on the marble table until each hair settles to the bottom. The hand-made shape has always been and will always be the most vital quality feature of a good artist brush. A brush-maker would NEVER even dream of shaping an artist brush with a knife or scissors. At da Vinci, this is our pledge. The gluing of the brush hairs into the ferrule is done by a dosing machine. 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.

Last but not least, each brush is carefully checked to see if the finishing of the brush-head is impeccable and the ferrule is firmly attached to the handle. Carefully packaged, it may then start its travel, perhaps over mountains and oceans, to one of our loyal customers making art in the wide, wide world.

Our New Factory for the The New Millennium
At the beginning of the new millennium, da Vinci began building a new factory from the ground up. It is now the most modern brush factory in the world today.
Combining age old natural hair brush making techniques with the latest technology for synthetic brushes, the perfect synthesis has been achieved in our brush-e's for today’s modern masters and inspired amateurs. Every machine at our new factory was built by our machine shop.
Try our multi diameter synthetics; Top Acryl, CosmoTop Spin and Nova lines and you will find three synthetic brushes completely unique, providing a great alternative to natural hair. All conditions in the factory are first rate, well paid artisans in a sweat shop free environment.

Da Vinci/Defet Atelier and Gallery House
Marianne and Hansfried Defet decided together to transform the vacated rooms in the old da Vinci factory into a Atelier and Gallery House. In this gallery, they welcome all styles of contemporary art, including vanguard projects and experimental shows, creating a thought provoking environment.

There are also a huge number of studios available to artists at a low cost. For more info on the Galerie and Atelier, go to http://www.galerie-defet.de

“We do hope very much that the public will find its way into this gallery and the artist studios, not only when previews and private openings are taking place as they are always very popular as a social event, but also in everyday life during normal business hours. Intensive talks on different techniques has always been the basis for our development of unique new products for artists.”




Please note: da Vinci Brushes of Germany is not affiliated with
da Vinci Paint Company of California.