From 1870 to 1876, Jakobides studied sculpture and painting at the Athens School of Fine Arts under Nikiphoros Lytras, and in 1877 he went to the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich on a scholarship to continue his painting studies under Ludwig von Lofftz, Wilhelm Lindenschmidt and Gabriel von Max.

[3] In Munich, he lived for 17 years where he worked in his studio, painting mythological scenes, genre pictures, and portraits.

[4] In the capital of Bavaria, he was regarded as a successful German artist selling many of his works at high prices.

At this time, additional to his themes he produced official portraits of eminent Greeks (e.g., Queen Sophia).

His son, the actor Michalis Iakovides, donated his personal journal – which includes a list of his paintings between 1878 and 1919 – to the National Gallery of Greece in 1951.