Joseph Heintz (or Heinz) the Elder (11 June 1564 – 15 October 1609) was a Swiss painter, draftsman and architect.

He next settled in Bohemia in 1591, and was at once appointed court painter to Rudolf II, but he remained in Prague for two years only, as in 1593 he was commissioned to make some copies from the antique for the emperor, and for that purpose went to Rome, where he spent some years.

He was buried at the graveyard of the church of St John the Baptist in the Lesser Town of Prague.

Heintz's paintings included religious images, portraits, and, following the emperor's taste, erotic mythological themes.

He was constantly investigating subtle questions of light, and almost all of his landscapes show the interest he took in this technical matter.