Cornelis van Cuylenburgh was born in Utrecht in 1785 as the son of the sculptor and eponymous Cornelis van Cuylenburgh (I). He learned from his father, from whom he presumably received drawing lessons. He later worked in The Hague as the director of the Hague Drawing Academy. Cornelis mainly painted portraits of important personalities, but was also well versed in landscapes and interiors. He too became a teacher of the next generation: his son Johannes learned the trade from him. Cornelis died in The Hague in 1827.