Joachim von Sandrart was baptized at Frankfurt am Main in 1606. His father, Lorenz von Sandrart, originally from Valenciennes, was part of the city's financial elite.
Joachim von Sandrart, however, did not follow in his father's footsteps, but decided to pursue an artistic career. He was travelling extensively while serving an apprenticeship: In 1619 he took drawing lessons with Sebastian Stoßkopf in Hanau, additionally, Matthäus Merian the Elder and Theodor de Bry were his teachers. Also Daniel Soreau (Hanau), Peter Isselburg (Nuremberg, 1620) and Egidius Sadeler (Prague, 1622) took care of the young Joachim von Sandrart's education. No one less than Gerrit van Honthorst from Utrecht taught Joachim von Sandrart the art of oil painting between 1623 and 1627.
After he had completed his training in Utrecht, Joachim von Sandrart was active in London, as relevant documents show. Afterwards he was in Italy (Venice, Bologna, Rome and Naples) from 1628 to 1635 and then eventually returned to his hometown. Between 1638 and 1642 Joachim von Sandrart was active in Amsterdam.
Then he finally became more settled: Married to Johanna von Milkau auf Stockau since 1637, Joachim von Sandrart took over the family estate Stockau near Ingolstadt after her father's death in 1645. The family lived on the farm for most of the time until 1670.
In 1670 the Sandrarts relocated to Augsburg, two years later Johanna died and Joachim von Sandrart married Esther Barbara Bloemart in1673.
Together with his second wife Joachim von Sandrart moved to Nuremberg in late 1673. He knew the Franconian city quite well – as this is where he made one of his main works in 1649/50, the "Peace-Banquet". He then was entrusted with the directorship of the Nuremberg Art Academy. Additionally, he funded a drawing school in 1674.
Afterwards Joachim von Sandrart worked in Stein, where he led the department of architecture of the evangelical reformed community between 1674 and 1686.
Sandrart received commissions for a number of altar panels as of the middle of the century. His abilities in portray art were also quite sought-after, so were his writing skills, with the works "Teutschen Academie der Edlen Bau-, Bild- und Mahlerey-Künste" (3 vols., I: 1675, II: 1679, III: 1679/80) he created nothing less but the founding work of German art history.
In 1688 Joachim von Sandrart died at Nuremberg.