Born near Carlsbad, Austria, Mussill studied painting in Paris and worked at the Sevres porcelain factory before leaving France c.1870 to settle in Stoke-on-Trent. He joined a community of continental artists working at the Minton pottery factory and remained there until his retirement in 1900, although he continued to be associated with the firm until his death. Mussill specialised in bird and flower studies on earthenware, executed in thick ‘impasto’ colours under the glaze, often on a large scale. Most of his surviving works on paper are preparatory sketches for his ceramic designs.