(b Munich, 1564; d Augsburg, 14 Aug. 1625). German painter, active for much of his career in Italy. He moved there c.1589, worked in Rome in the early 1590s, then settled in Venice, where he lived 1596–1606. He specialized in mythological scenes in landscape settings, working on a small scale and often on copper, and his paintings form a link between the styles of Paul Bril, whom he knew in Rome, and Adam Elsheimer, who was his assistant in Venice (Rottenhammer's workshop became something of a magnet for German artists visiting the city). After his return to Germany he settled in Augsburg. He became one of the leading artists there, but he died in poverty, mainly because of overindulgence in alcohol.