[1] Going against his father's wishes, he began his artistic studies in 1836, when he was eleven, as an unmatriculated student at the Academy of Fine Arts in Lisbon.

[2] Initially, he was a portrait painter.In 1844, he was a student in Rome, where he associated with Johann Friedrich Overbeck, Peter von Cornelius and other German painters, coming under the influence of the Nazarene movement.

[2] Upon returning to Portugal, he abandoned portraits in favor of history painting and held his first exhibition in a palace belonging to Count of Lumiares.

His work was not favorably received, so he sold all of his paintings to an auction house and went to France for further studies.

His new works found favor with the public and King Fedinand II, who purchased his painting of a scene from the life of Luís Vaz de Camões.