[1] His first exhibitions came in the 1860s; notably a depiction of Galileo appearing before the Holy Office, which was shown at the Society for the Promotion of Fine Arts in 1865.

Notable examples include Santa Lucia in Naples at the Industrial Exhibition in Turin (1880), and The Death of Socrates, at the new Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome (1883).

His lack of commercial expertise led to a series of poor investments, leaving him penniless and in debt.

He attempted to restart his painting career, but was rebuffed when he applied for a teaching position at the Academy of Fine Arts.

[1] For several years, he operated a small workshop that was frequented by young artists, but that was interrupted by World War I.