Born on 3 September 1748 in Dordrecht, he was first a flower painter in Breda, and later became the pupil for two years of the flower painter J. Xavery in The Hague.

In 1771 he moved to Rotterdam where he studied the works of Cuyp, Potter and Wijnants. His studio became a popular meeting place and his work achieved a certain reputation. An affliction of the eyes is said to have prevented him painting in old age.

He died in Rotterdam on 21 May 1819. The few works now recorded include landscapes, animal subjects and seascapes, and reflect his admiration for seventeenth-century Dutch painting.