Draughtsman and etcher, Palmieri made hardly any paintings, but made a career working as a draughtsman and printmaker. He was a pupil of Ercole Graziani at the Accademia Clementina in Bologna. He soon established a reputation as an engraver, working in a manner that reflected the influence and inspiration of 17th-century masters. Palmieri moved to Parma in 1771 where he taught drawing at the Academy, and was patronized by Guillaume Du Tillot, the prime minister in the French-dominated court. When Du Tillot moved to Paris in 1773, Palmieri went with him, remaining there for a few more years after his patron’s death. He also visited England, Spain and Switzerland before settling in Turin in 1778. In Turin Palmieri made a career as an artist and advisor to collectors, before being nominated as professor of drawing at the Academy in 1802.