Henri Boncquet was born in Ardooie into a large family and was orphaned at the age of seven.

[1] In the immediate vicinity of his birthplace, he began his training in Roeselare in the studio of the sculptor Karel Dupon (1853-1907).

Subsequently, from 1880 to 1881, Boncquet was enrolled at the local Academy of Arts, the SASK,[3] then moved to the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels for a few years.

He received his first official commission in 1894: the bronze eagle in the botanical garden at the Schaarbeek Gate in Brussels.

In Brussels, he worked figuratively on the town hall of Saint-Gilles[6] on the triumphal arch in the Parc du Cinquantenaire and on three statues in the parks of Ixelles as well as on paintings in the botanical garden.