The Kolinsky sable. Hard to trap weasel like creature whose natural habitat is in Siberia and Northern Mongolia yet is of consequence here because the hairs, depending on where on the animal they come from, can go into making some of the most expensive paint brushes in the world. The new Kolinsky Series 7 display from Winsor-Newton is an improved version; the old display was prone to being shoplifted outright, brushes and all. And at $2800 retail for only 25 brushes you can understand why. So, the new display borrows some ideas from the office safe. The base is filled with iron ore and you need a dolly to transport it and two people in top shape to install it on the counter. Its not like moving a piano, but….
---Series 7 Kolinsky Sable watercolour brushes. Hand made in Lowestoft, Suffolk since 1866 when Her Majesty Queen Victoria gave orders that Winsor & Newton create a brush of the highest possible quality in her favourite size No.7. Series 7 sable brushes are to this day unsurpassed in quality.---
Another company, in their ingenious wisdom, FM Brush in New York, has claimed they have perfected the first imitation Kolinsky. This Dynasty’s blurb:
One of the most popular and well known natural brushes for artists is the Kolinsky sable. It is made from the tail hairs of a weasel found in Siberia, where the tails grow thick and long, producing lush tapered hairs that hold a lot of fluid when wet. Because of the brushes’ popularity, and because Dynasty is always looking for ways to create better brushes that are easier on the environment, last year Dynasty revealed its Faux Kolinsky Brush.
Faux Kolinsky Red Sable on seamless nickel ferrules with long black albata dipped handles
With a year in development to find the perfect blend of synthetics, FM Brush, the parent company of Dynasty, released this faux Kolinsky series. It is a brush that recreates the attributes of the Siberian Sable brushes, and yet is a socially responsible alternative to animal hair. This brush has been fine tuned to replicate the performance of the Kolinsky, with special attention paid to the tip in order to mimic the generous reservoir of the natural brush….
Knowing Dynasty/FM this is likely a very good brush and the best value on the whole darn planet. However, I can’t see it in the realm of the Series 7 or a Raphael. And conscientious as they are, I have never known the Dynasty people to be environmentally radical in the past, but it is nice to know that an WWF caliber brush is available. The good thing here is there brush can probably be used for oils, and decorative painting with acrylics as well.
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