Pierre Joseph Célestin François, a Flemish historical, genre, and miniature painter, as well as an etcher, was born at Namur in 1759. He was a pupil of Lens, and travelled in France, Italy, and Germany, but finally established himself at Brussels, where he became a professor in the Academy. His pupils were very numerous, including Navez, Decaisne, Madou, and others. He died in 1851.
Amongst his works are:
This article incorporates text from the article "FRANCOIS, Pierre Joseph Célestin" in Bryan's Dictionary of Painters and Engravers by Michael Bryan, edited by Robert Edmund Graves and Sir Walter Armstrong, an 1886–1889 publication now in the public domain.