Wow, it turns out columnar brushes can easily cost $1200 each. When I said brushes were expensive, I meant a few dozen dollars each. Turns out, they can be two orders of magnitude more expensive. Well okay, I chose the biggest and most expensive one.
Sable – a predatory furry animal from the mustelidae family. The fur from the tail part of the sable, which inhabits the valleys of Siberian rivers – Amur, Tobol, and Ussuri, as well as in China and Korea, is used to make brushes. Sable fur is elastic and lightweight, with very fine tips. The highest quality brushes are made from the fur of male sables harvested in winter. The tuft consists of hairs of various lengths which, when the brush comes into contact with a surface, create a capillary flow.
P.S. It’s clear why the price is high. In the USA, there are restrictions on importing animal fur products from species listed in the so-called red book (CITES list). The ban was introduced in 2015. There have been some relaxations, but ultimately, this drove up the price. Link in the comments
Hi, I'm Rauf Aliev. 