Charles-Auguste Fraikin

Charles Auguste Fraikin was born in Herentals, United Kingdom of the Netherlands, on 14 June 1817.

[1][2] He took drawing lessons from the age of twelve at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp.

[3] He worked in the pharmacy of Auguste-Donat De Hemptinne, brother-in-law of François-Joseph Navez, painter and director of the Brussels Academy, who discovered his talent and encouraged him to continue in the arts.

[4][5] At the Salon van Brussel [nl] in 1845, Fraikin won a gold medal for the sculpture L'amour captif.

In addition to being a sculptor, Fraikin was also curator of the sculpture department of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium.