Etienne Delaune was born in France sometime between 1518 and 1519. He is most known for being a medallist and draughtsman who worked as a goldsmith in Paris in the 1550s. In 1552, he was appointed to the royal mint, where he would have produced metalwork designs. However, he left this position after six months following a dispute about wages. During his employment at the mint, Delaune had been able to build links with the French court and king. This allowed him to obtain royal commissions in particular for the design of intricately detailed royal armour, medals and other metalwork.
He commenced his career as an engraver of medals, and is said to have been helped by Benvenuto Cellini, who was at that time living in Paris. He afterwards engraved many prints after Raphael, and the Italian masters of Fontainebleau, and still more after the designs of his son Jean, with whom he passed the greater part of his life at Strassburg. His style was formed upon that of the Little Masters of Germany. He died at Strassburg around 1583.
Étienne Delaune was one of the most famous designers of goldsmithery of his time. There are six of his designs in the Louvre; two of them are for circular dishes representing the Histories of Moses and of Samson. His prints, which are generally small, are very numerous; they are executed entirely with the graver, with great dexterity of handling, and are very highly finished. He copied some of the prints of Marc Antonio with success. He usually marked his prints with the initial of his Christian name, S., or S. F., or S. fecit, but sometimes Stephanus, fecit.