Jules Leleu (1883-1961)

Enfilade with quadrangular body in tinted rosewood veneer inlaid with mother-of-pearl and Macassar ebony, opening with three front doors onto an interior with adjustable-height shelves. Each door is decorated with a Rose des Vents in Macassar ebony and mother-of-pearl marquetry. Bronze base. Circa 1960 Number 31578 stamped on the back. Dim. H: 88 cm - W: 144 cm - D: 39 cm Some minor wear and discoloration. Bibliography: Mobilier et décoration december 1958 N°9 Wikipedia biography: Jules-Emile Leleu, born in Boulogne-sur-Mer on June 17, 1883 and died in Neuilly-sur-Seine on July 11, 1961, was a French designer, decorator, draughtsman and painter who distinguished himself during the Art Deco period. Jules-Emile Leleu studied at the Beaux-Arts in Boulogne-sur-Mer, then trompe-l'œil in Brussels. In 1909, he succeeded his father in the painting business the latter had founded in 1882. In partnership with his brother Marcel, he added a "decoration" branch to the business, and in 1910 set up a cabinet-making workshop. Both brothers were mobilized in 1914, Marcel in the DCA and Jules in the air force. Jules was shot in the elbow on October 12, 1914 at Pontavert. He was wounded again in the foot on November 9, 1916 during an air battle over Nesles: he was taken prisoner and sent to Germany. On his return in 1918, Jules specialized in furniture design and became one of the first officers of the Ordre des Arts et Lettres, in recognition of his knowledge of the artistic world. The company changed its name to "Leleu Frères" and in 1920 acquired a three-storey townhouse in Boulogne-sur-Mer. Converted into a showroom, it was run by Jules' wife Julienne. Jules regularly took part in trade shows, but his creations did not yet bear the stamp of a "Leleu style". In 1924, he moved to the 8th arrondissement of Paris. This family of decorators, designers and assemblers was at the pinnacle of French decoration during two very productive periods of the 20th century: the years 1920-1948 under the leadership of Jules Leleu, then the years 1948-1970 under the direction of his son André Leleu, his sister Paule, the carpet designer, and their brother Jean Leleu. At the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, he exhibited a dining room that won him a Grand PrixN 1. Among the furniture presented at this show was a chest of drawers now in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. In 1926, Jules Leleu opened a new activity within his company: fitting out liners (he took part in the fitting out of 17 liners and several cargo ships)2. The Cie Générale Transatlantique commissions him to install and decorate the reading and writing salon on the liner "Île-de-France" - an ambassador of the French "Art Déco" style to the United States. Leleu takes part in the decoration of lounges on the liner "Atlantique" (1928-1930), destined for the South American lines. The ship's fittings prefigured the 1935 liner "Normandie". In 1930, he designed the furnishings for Count Olivier de Rivaud's private swimming pool3 in La Celle-Saint-Cloud. He used lap to line the walls and installed a bar and wood-burning fireplace in the 25-meter pool. As early as 1930, Jules Leleu involved his daughter Paule, who was to become a textile and carpet designer. A "fabrics - wallpaper" department opened a few years later, with some collections printed by Follot. Leleu installs furniture for French and foreign embassies, and works for Prince Pierre of Monaco, Prince Takatma Tsu of Japan, and the King of Romania. He designed the French salon4 in the Palais des Nations for the League of Nations in Geneva - now the United Nations Office - which has been preserved to this day in its original state. With his son André, Jules Leleu designed the Martin de Janville sanatorium for the French Air Force. The furniture, designed from wooden models, was produced in folded sheet metal and lacquered by the Jean Prouvé workshop, which lent its expertise to Jules Leleu in the production of economical furniture. After the war, Maison Leleu expanded even further. Among its best-known projects, Leleu was commissioned by shipping companies to furnish their fleet vessels, and also designed the private dining room for the Élysée Palace (at the request of President Vincent Auriol). In 1951, he was called in to advise on the construction of the cruise liner Flandre. In 1954, the SNCF commissioned Leleu to design the presidential train in