Cima was born in Conegliano, a prosperous market town north of Venice in the foothills of the Italian Alps. Cima’s family name derives from the profession of his father and grandfather, who were cimatori di panni, craftsmen employed in the trimming and finishing of woolen cloth. Cima was among the generation of artists who ushered in the “Golden Age” of Venetian painting, which was distinguished by three closely linked qualities: the exploration and refinement of the oil medium, a remarkable sensitivity for rendering light, and a particular affinity for landscape painting.