Biography

German printmaker. Often erroneously referred to as Hans Sebald Lautensack, he was the son of Paul Lautensack (1478-1558), a painter and organist from Bamberg. In 1527, the family moved to Nuremberg where he probably studied with a goldsmith. He then began creating topographical views of the city and landscapes that were influenced by the Danube School, in particular by Albrecht Altdorfer's works. Lautensack also produced portraits of Nuremberg burghers until 1554, when Emperor Ferdinand I summoned him to reproduce his classical coin collection. In portraits of Nuremberg burghers from 1552 and 1553, Lautensack developed a trademark composition that related his sitter to the outdoors by showing a view through a window to a distant landscape.

While in Vienna, Lautensack's patronage expanded from burghers to humanist and court circles, whose members he portrayed in a new, more mannered style. His landscape etchings from this period became more panoramic as he increased the middle distance and added tiny figures in the foreground.

Although some documents refer to Lautensack as a painter, no paintings by him survive.