He was born to Filippo Carrillo, a prosecutor at the Royal Civil Court, and his wife Rachele, née Grasso. After obtaining a law degree in 1842, he briefly worked as a lawyer.[1] Later, he moved to Naples. There, he began to study art at the studios of Giacinto Gigante; becoming an accomplished watercolorist. This led him to enroll at the Royal Institute of Fine Arts, where he was a pupil of Gabriele Smargiassi.[2]
For many years, he participated in the biennial exhibitions at the Royal Bourbon Museum. He also exhibited landscapes at the "Society for the Promotion of Fine Arts", a group of which he was one of the founding members.[2] In 1870, he was awarded a gold medal at the Fine Arts Exposition in Parma, for his view of Naples from Posillipo.