Hans Rottenhammer (1564/65-1625) was born in Munich and became the apprentice of the court painter Hans Donauer (c. 1540-1596). In the early 1590s, Rottenhammer travelled to Italy, and is documented in Venice and Rome between 1591 and 1595. The studio he established in Venice attracted collectors and numerous important commissions. In 1606 he returned to Augsburg, where he stayed until his death. His sons Hans Rottenhammer II (1622-1668) and Domenikus Rottenhammer (1622-?) were also painters but almost none of their work has survived.
This small oil painted on an amethyst plaque depicts the Virgin and Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist. It is a rare example of Rottenhammer's use of stone as a support, and was probably executed while during his time in Italy, either in Venice or Rome, between 1591 and 1606.
