Old Holland really gets high marks in general it when it comes to making things just look appealing, and we love the painted swatches on their labels. Since the grand treasure chest is sold out everywhere, we resolved ourselves to focus this review on the Old Holland box that has made the rounds ever year.
Let's take a look at the old standby. This looks like the Old Holland 15103 or 15101 set, which is very confusing, as Old Holland has the picture labeled 15103, and the Old Holland link title says 15101. Oh my. The hurdles we holiday shoppers have to go through. So maybe confirm with the retailer to be sure if you're buying this one.
The Jerry's site was a bit sparse on information. They said it contained:
"34 x 40 ml tubes
Cold pressed linseed oil binder
Comes with Italian Mabef Deluxe Wooden Sketch Box
Rectangular wood palette
Two covered palette cups
3 palette knives
3 vine charcoal
4 oz turpentine
4 oz oil painting medium
Size No.8 round, No.8 bright and No.10 filbert brushes"
So beyond that we're on our own as far as a pigments list.
If the Old Holland link is the right one for box 15103, and if the Jerry's Listing is indeed for the 15103, the pigments for that box are listed below (no guarantees that this guess is the right one).
What we like: Ok so this set is incredibly gorgeous, and we could just stare at pictures of it. In fact we have often wondered when other sets look more elaborate why this one by Old Holland is so incredibly good looking. Getting down to brass tacks, this thing is full of paint, and on a holiday sale it might not actually be too bad of a deal. There are a few colors we love: Carribean Blue is a super fun PB16 that's hard to find. If the Cobalt Blue is included, that is an expensive tube of genuine Cobalt that is absolutely gorgeous. Their Yellow Ochre is a nice one and so is Raw Sienna Light. Transparent Oxide-Red Lake is one of our favorites and has an extra redolent note in glazes. We also adore their Caput Mortuum Violet which makes mysterious tints.
What we don't like: Ok, we could go either way on the Mabef box. That's one nice box. But unless you love boxes and (understandably) want to keep these paints in their treasure chest so you can look at them all day, the box is a high end accessory. A few colors here are ones we'd probably pass on due to lightfastness concerns. Also, unless it is truly PB33, The Manganese Blue Deep should probably be labeled as a hue. Also there are none of the cadmiums for which Old Holland has been made so justly famous.
If you love the Mabef box though, this set could be a deal.
We are more inclined to get a vintage box, and build our own set with our favorites Old Holland colors. We're just hoping it would look this good in the end.