A watercolourist who specialised in landscapes, Ender's talent was first noted by the great statesman Clemens, Duke of Metternich. Metternich was so captivated by Ender's work that he invited him to join the great Austrian expedition to Brazil in 1817.
Upon the success of this, Ender was elected court painter to the Archduke Johann of Austria, son of Emperor Leopold II of Austria, in 1829. In this capacity he travelled throughout the Alps and Italy, stopping at the most beautiful and scenic spots to paint his popular landscapes.
Ender was made a professor at the Academy in Vienna in 1837 and was made a knight of the Order of Franz-Joseph in 1853.