Royal Talens Rembrandt Soft Pastels are top-quality artists' pastels, with a remarkable balance of usability and results. For a soft pastel, they are relatively firm and dry, which means you have a greater degree of control, but once applied they blend fully. The Royal Talens brand of Holland dates back to 1899, and the Rembrandt soft pastel itself to 1924. Now as then, they are made with a high concentration of pure pigment, making them highly lightfast, and bound with kaolin clay, they ensure consistent brilliant colours and an even release