Hans Rottenhammer the Elder

1564 Munich – 1625 Augsburg

The painter and draughtsman, Hans Rottenhammer the Elder, was the son of the Munich court equerry, Thomas Rotten­hammer. In 1589 he undertook the obligatory journey to Italy, like many other prominent artists of his time, travelling via Treviso to Venice, where he settled in 1591 and made drawings after paintings by great local masters like Titian and Veronese. In spring 1594 Rottenhammer stayed for a short period in Rome. Here he associated with resident Flemish artists such as Jan Brueghel and Paulus Bril and following their example started painting on copper. In Autumn 1595 Rottenhammer returned to Venice where he was to live and work until 1606. After his arrival in the Serenissima he quickly earned a reputation for his small-format cabinet paintings on copper panels, most of which were on mythological and religious themes. Among his high-ranking and aristocratic clients were Cardinal Carlo Borromeo, Duke Gonzaga of Mantua and Emperor Rudolf II, for whom he also worked as an art agent. Rottenhammer’s Venetian studio appears to have been a popular port of call for German artists.