He started working around the age of 12, right after finishing school. He learned the craft at 20 years old. A significant leap in his career occurred when he was sent to restore the Church of St. George in Santa Maria da Feira: for three months, he performed touch-ups on the altars and other necessary interventions. The work went so well that his cousin confessed to him: “You already know more than the master.” Later, he also undertook the restoration of the Church of Vilela.
At 25, he established his own business. In 1995, he took a break from his activity and worked outside his field, including a period in Madeira, where he accepted a brief restoration project at the Chapel of Caniçal just to satisfy his craving. The call of the craft proved stronger, and with market improvements, he definitively returned to gilding.
