Lier, Belgium
Cels was born in [[Lier, Belgium|Lier]] in the [[Duchy of Brabant]] in 1778. His family was one of the prominent families in Lier. He initially studied under the sculptor Pompe and then under P.-J. Denis. He later went to study under the Antwerp painter [[Andries Cornelis Lens]] who had settled in Brussels and was then very successful. He studied under Lens from 1795 to 1800.