Born in Berlin, Cesare Mussini was the son of an Italian musician. Together with his brother Luigi, he moved to Florence in 1820 to study at the Accademia di Belle Arti. While a student, several of his works won awards. From 1828 to 1832, Mussini lived in Rome, where his style changed from classicism to romanticism. From 1832, he worked again in Florence, mainly as a portraitist and history painter. Around 1840, Mussini developed paints based on resins, which won him prizes at several international exhibitions. He sold the patent for his formula in 1875 to the German paint company Schmincke, which still produces a paint called Mussini.