Old Holland is the best oil colours quality I’ve tried so far, very rich pigments, they have the highest degree of lightfastness, the highest possible concentration of pigment in each colour, the paint has an unprecedented colour strength. I think is one of the best choice you can make if you are looking for quality and stiffness.

The history of Old Holland Classic Colours goes back to the seventeenth century, the golden age of the Dutch masters. In this era, the training of painters was organised under the guild system. The painters’ guilds were called Saint Lucas Guilds, after their patron saint Lucas. Traditional knowledge and skills in the area of the manufacture of paint were passed on from generation to generation in these guilds. In the guild, the master taught the mate and the apprentice. The apprentice learned to rub the pigments with the binders, the mate learned to mix the colours and make underpaintings. Once the mate was deemed to be skilled enough, he in turn became a master, started his own studio and gained standing.

take a look http://www.oldholland.com/en/about/history/17th-18th-century/