Antonio Ciseri was born in the city of Ronco sopra Ascona, Switzerland, in October 1821.

When he was only about 12 years old, Ciseri went to Florence in order o study drawing under Ernesto Buonaiuti. In the next year, he was studying at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence, under the tutelage of brothers Niccola and Pietro Benvenuti. He would later be taught by the painter Giuseppe Bezzuoli, who was an essential influence on Antonio Ciseri’s early career.

From 1849, Ciseri began to offer instruction to young aspiring artists, and would eventually run his own private art school. Among his earliest pupils was Silvestro Lega.

Ciseri’s religious artworks are Raphaelesque regarding their polished surfaces and compositional outlines. The artist executed many major commissions for Italian and Swiss churches, as well as several portraits.

Among his pupils are Giuseppe Guzzardi, Oreste Costa, Alcide Segoni, Raffaello Sorbi, Andrea Landini, Emanuele Trionfi, Niccolo Cannicci, and Girolamo Nerli.

Antonio Ciseri died on March 8, 1891.