 He was born in Fuente de Cantos, and received his first art instruction at the "Escuela Especial de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado", a branch of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, where he studied from 1866 to 1870 with Domingo Valdivieso and Federico de Madrazo.After graduating, he received a stipend from the , which enabled him to study abroad.From 1872 to 1878, he studied in Rome with Marià Fortuny and at the Accademia Chigi, where he was influenced by the Macchiaioli.