Georg Philipp Rugendas II came from one of Augburg’s large families of artists. He began his career with animal pictures, but also Italianate landscapes and images of soldiers in the tradition of his famous father, Georg Philipp Rugendas I (1666 - 1742).
Later he largely took on the role of engraver in his father’s workshop and recruited his own son, Johann Georg Lorenz (1730 - 1791), as a collaborator.