Among his most important works are his numerous views of the Venetian canals and Piazza San Marco, the classical scene Floralia (which disappeared during the Spanish Civil War) and Rancho Andaluz.

[1][2] Born in the town of Coín (Málaga), he was one of ten children (six of which died in childhood) of Francisco Reyna Zayas (1825–1892) and Matilde Manescau y Otsman (1823–1910).

[4] He moved to Rome (where he was to live until his death), and in 1885 visited Venice; from that year on, Venetian landscapes, showing landmarks like the Grand Canal and Piazza San Marco but also less known quarters of the city, are ubiquitous in his work.

[4] Venice was at that time an artistic hub for Spanish painters, thanks in part to Fortuny's widow residing there, and also because of the Venetian production of Villegas Cordero and Martín Rico, whose preciosity in the depiction of the landscape was adopted by Reyna Manescau.

In order to achieve a meticulous representation of the ornaments and mosaics, he traveled to southern Italy to study the Pompeian wall paintings and the Farnese model of the Museum of Naples.

That year, while his brother Ricardo was appointed mayor of Coín, Antonio was invited by the Ateneo de Madrid board to decorate their headquarters.

While in Madrid, the King of Spain, Alfonso XIII, made him a Knight of the Royal Order of Carlos III, the highest distinction awarded to a Spanish artist at that time.

[2] As his fame consolidated, he painted two portraits of Pope Benedict XV, that entered the Vatican Museum,[2] and regularly exhibited his production, traveling constantly in Italy.