He was a regular participant in the National Exhibition of Fine Arts, beginning in 1858, when his depiction of Caius Gracchus was instrumental in his being awarded the scholarship for Rome. He received a Third Class prize in 1860 for a scene from a classic folktale, La tía fingida [es] (The Feigned Aunt). Two years later, he was awarded a First Prize for his rendering of a scene from the life of Sister Marcela de San Félix.
He was also a regular contributor of illustrations for the magazine, El Arte en España [es], and served as a jury member for numerous exhibitions.
From 1866, he was a professor at the Real Academia and, in 1873, was awarded the chair Pictorial Anatomy. In 1881, was named an Academician at the Real Academia, although he died, suddenly, before being able to formally accept the position.