Leleu Jules (1883-1961) - Large Walnut And Mother-of-pearl Chest Of Drawers, 20th Century

Jules LELEU (1883-1961)
Important walnut chest of drawers inlaid with square mother-of-pearl pastilles opening to two doors trimmed with gilded metal twisted handles.
Rests on saber feet.
Invoice from Maison LELEU (01/03/1955)

French 20th-century workmanship

Dimensions:
Height. : 96 cm
Long. : 184 cm
Prof. : 52 cm

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.

At the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, he exhibited a dining room that won him a Grand Prix. Among the furniture presented at this exhibition is a commode now in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

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 salon in the Palais des Nations for the League of Nations in Geneva - now the Office of the United Nations - 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 fit out their fleet of ships, and also designed the private dining room at 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 inaugurated by President René Coty. Mamie Einsenhower, wife of U.S. President Eisenhower, came to Leleu herself to choose furniture for their French residence. It was at this time that Leleu moved to New York, to the chic Upper East Side, next to Baccarat, with whom Maison Leleu was associated.