Cabinet with secretaire in rosewood by Jules-Émile Leleu

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Jules-Émile Leleu (1883-1961)
Fine cabinet
Having drop front secretaire
Flanked by two cabinets, over three drawers
Rosewood, sycamore, brass
France 1930s
Dimensions:
54 in. (137 cm) H
54.5 in. (138 cm) L
17 in. (43 cm) D

Sculptor and designer Jules-Émile Leleu (1883-1961) began developing a career as an interior designer shortly after joining his brother Marcel in the management of their father’s painting business. After the First World War, he opened his own design firm and furniture workshop in Paris. The scale of the business grew rapidly, and the cabinetmaking aspect was relocated to Boulogne in the 1920s-1930s.

By the 1920s, Leleu had developed his mature artistic voice, comparable in concept to that of Louis Süe and André Mare or Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann in its elegant and mannered re-interpretation of the classical tradition and the Louis XVI style. Leleu added a distinct sense of monumentality to these classical forms, resulting in a “baroque” Art Deco. The majestic sense of his style translated successfully into the development of a number of interior projects for governmental buildings and embassies.

By the 1930s, Leleu’s style became more geometric and streamlined. This elegant version of modern design suited France’s burgeoning production of luxury ocean liners, and Leleu was enlisted to produce furniture and interiors for over twenty boats .

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