He was probably born in Antwerp around 1555 as the son of the painter, printer, publisher and humanist Hubert Goltzius and his wife Elisabeth Verhulst.

In 1575 he engraved some plates after the drawings of his elder brother Scipio, illustrating the numismatic publications of his father.

He was regularly hired as an engraver by publishers based in Antwerp or Cologne (mostly for exiled Flemish artists and publishers) working amongst others after the designs of Jean-Jacques Boissard, Abraham de Bruyn,[2] Anthonie Blocklandt van Montfoort[3] and Maerten de Vos.

In 1601 he bought numerous printing plates at the sale of the estate of Volcxken Diericx, the widow of Hieronymus Cock.

[6] He had these plates - separate prints and series by and after artists such as Frans Floris, Cornelis Cort, Johannes Wierix, Martin Schongauer and others - reprinted, adding his own address.