During his presentation to them, he met a girl named Inês Helena de Lima e Melo, who would become his lifelong passion.

Once there, aged only thirteen, he was apprenticed to Benedetto Luti, who immediately set him to studying and copying the frescoes in the Farnese Gallery.

[1] Returning home after seven years, he was commissioned by King John V to paint a large "Blessed Sacrament" for the Corpus Christi procession.

[2] When he recovered, he sought justice from King John V, but his wife's family was influential and the would-be assassin was allowed to flee the country.

[1] During his tenure with the court, he painted portraits of the royal family, and worked prolifically at numerous public buildings and churches.

[2] While there, he composed a long poem in lyrical cantos called O insigne pintor e leal esposo, história verdadeira... (Illustrious painter and loyal husband, a true story).