Rottenhammer was born in Munich. By 1591 he had made his way to Rome, where he became quite successful at painting devotional and allegorical images on copper, often in collaboration with the Flemish landscape painters Jan Breughel I (1568-1625) and Paul Bril (1554-1626). In 1596 he settled in Venice for a decade, and by 1606, he was permanently residing in Augsburg. Rottenhammer's recipe for success consisted in adapting the motifs of the Venetian school of painting and rearranging them in a small format, with attention to detail and an astute appreciation of the brilliant Venetian palette. These precious and portable works became coveted collector's items in the 17th century.