He first studied in
Lisbon, later moving to
Rome. He travelled through
Italy,
Germany,
Austria and
England, before returning to Portugal, in 1800. He met
Swiss painter
Angelica Kauffman, from whom he seems to have received influences. He seems to anticipate some motives of the romantic painting in several of his historical paintings, like
Dona Filipa de Vilhena knighting her sons (1801). He contracted
tuberculosis, and moved to
Madeira, where he died, aged only 39. He is represented at the
National Museum of Ancient Art, in Lisbon, and at the
National Museum Soares dos Reis, in Porto. Not to be confused with another Portuguese painter, Francisco Vieira de Matos, better known as
Vieira Lusitano. ==Works==