His initial lessons came from Joost Zeeman (1776-1845), a local painter who specialized in still-lifes. He then became apprenticed to Cornelis Kruseman in Amsterdam. This was followed by advanced instruction at the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten. During his stay there, he won several awards. At first, he focused on still-lifes, but expanded into portraits and genre scenes, generally lit by candles or lamps; a style that was very popular for a time. Later, he taught Petrus Kiers, who would be considered the master of candlelight painting. He also made sketches of the February flood of 1825, many of which were made into prints.