The Romanian sculptor, Constantin Brancusi was born on February 19, 1876, in Hobitza, a village in Romania's Carpathian Mountains, an area known for its rich tradition of folk crafts, particularly ornate wood carving. His parents, Nicolae and Maria Brâncuși, were poor peasants who earned a meager living through back-breaking labor, and from the age of seven he herded the family's flock of sheep. He showed remarkable talent for carving objects out of wood. At the age of nine, Brâncuși left the village to work at menial jobs in the nearest large town. At 13 he went to Craiova where he worked at a grocery store for several years. When he was 18, impressed by Brâncuși's talent for carving, his employer financed his education at the Craiova School of Crafts (Școala de Meserii). There he indulged his love for woodworking, taught himself to read and write, and graduated with honors in 1898.