Nikolaus Rugendas I: A Master of the Seventeenth Century Nikolaus Rugendas, the elder – a name synonymous with meticulous detail and evocative storytelling in 17th-century German art – emerged from Augsburg as a pivotal figure in the world of engraving. Born in 1579, he inherited not just an artistic lineage but also a deep appreciation for craftsmanship, evident in every precisely rendered line of his work. His early training under h…