He first gained popularity when he made his formal debut with Venetian and Roman landscapes, and genre scenes; very traditional in style and rendered in great detail. In 1870, he exhibited with the "Società degli Amatori e Cultori di Belle Arti" then, in 1873, he presented his depiction of a chicken market at the Vienna World's Fair. During this time, he was influenced by the works of Marià Fortuny and made his color scheme more complex. He also began painting with tempera and watercolors.