Born in San Giovanni Valdarno, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, he received his education in Siena from Giuseppe Nicolo Nasini (1657–1736) from 1713 and 1720.

During this early period he constructed a catafalque for Ferdinando de Medici in the cathedral of Siena and the triumphal arch for the reception of the new archbishop.

The theatrical design of this display attracted the attention of Count Francisco Picolomini, who in turn informed the Grand Master.

His silver altarpiece with flying angels, garlands, acanthus and twisted columns in Manueline style, is an elaborate work.

He decorated the doorcases in the apse of the cathedral and in the cloister (1733–1736) with a rich variety of ornament, whose designs go back to the Florentine Bernardo Buontalenti.

The godfather of José, his son, was a Portuguese nobleman who asked him in 1731 to design the church and the spectacular granite tower of São Pedro dos Clérigos in Porto.

Other major works in Porto and northern Portugal: His specialty was the talha dourada, a technique to decorate woodwork with gold leaves.

This technique was applied to altars, altarpieces, statues, retables and baldachins giving an overwhelming impression of opulence on entering a church.

A good example is the retable on the main altar of the church of Santo Ildefonso in Porto, where he used the same thematic decorative elements as in his architectural designs (asymmetrical shells, acanthus foliage, volutes and husks, with the addition of flying angels).