At sixteen, he began an apprenticeship in the workshops of António de Oliveira Bernardes [pt], where he studied until 1704.

He began to establish his personal style in the 1720s with work done at the convent of "Our Lady of the Conception of Cardais".

At this time, he also appears to have painted the screens in the chapel of "Our Lady Jesuit Church" in Horta on Faial Island, representing the Death of the Virgin and the Apostles at Mary's tomb.

Later, he would work with Vieira Lusitano (who may have been a former student) at the Paulist convent, and the Church of the Child of God.

In the 1750s, he returned to the Church of Mater Dei, where he was commissioned to paint a series of scenes depicting Saint Joseph's life in Egypt for the sacristy and a rendition of The Assumption for the gable in the chancel.