Antique, historic and worth Dh2.2m

If you are looking for a special antique to add to your collection then you might be interested in a unique piece by 20th century French interior designer Jules Leleu.

However, this rare tortoise-shell cabinet will not come cheap – it has been valued at Dh2.2 million. But if you buy it you would be in very exalted company as Leleu was patronised by the French Government and wealthy French families, industrialists and businessmen.

In fact so renowned was Leleu that his fame spread beyond his home country and he built up an international clientele of movers and shakers.

His list of clients includes the Shah of Iran, princes from Monaco and Japan, the presidents of Tunisia and the Ivory Coast as well as late US President Dwight David Eisenhower and his wife Mamie.

The cabinet was built in 1963 and is 56 inches high, 31in wide and 18in deep. It is decorated with gilt-bronze and carved rock crystal and comes with the original key.

Like all furniture by Leleu the piece is made according to the highest standards with the best materials. It is one of two identical cabinets – the other is in an important private collection in New York. A third version is set with jade.

This piece was made for one of Leleu's major clients, the Frilet family. It was acquired from them by Maison Gerard, a New York antique shop that specialises in superb furnishings from the 1920s to the 1960s in the Art Deco and Moderne styles.

"Leleu used very fine woods with inlays, shagreen, tortoiseshell and lacquer to finish his furniture," Patrick Gallagher, founder of
New York interiors company Decoratives & Design told Emirates Business.

"This cabinet is a very rare, important and sublime piece which would be impossible to replace as it is a brilliant marriage between nature and man. Leleu has taken the complex patterning of tortoiseshell and defined it with the geometry of a grid application.

"Furthermore, he softened that geometry by gently bowing the bottom of the cabinet and rounding the corners in a most sensual manner. The tapered legs give it a lightness in feeling that one wouldn't expect from a dark and complex carcass. And the use of gilt-bronze details add just enough crispness and definition to the piece to make it truly an outstanding work of art.

"Plus the addition of the rock crystal ornaments give it yet another light-hearted but very stylish whimsy."

Leleu was born in 1883 outside Paris and initially trained as a decorative painter, but in 1909 he took over his father's business and started a decorating division.

He often went to Paris to look for the best cabinet-makers and in 1922 he set up his office there. Leleu designed pieces in the French Art Deco style and his creations were such a success that he gained prestigious new clients.

Soon his whole family was involved in the business and Leleu expanded further to offer furniture, textiles, rugs, mirrors and lighting fixtures. Leleu co-operated with other artists to make custom pieces.

While in the 1930s Leleu's work was more Style Moderne, in the 1940s and 1950s his work took the style of the day.

Although Leleu's furniture was simple, it was made out of the finest woods such as macassar ebony, sycamore, burl walnut, palisander and rare materials such as tortoise shell.

Once in a while Leleu would add an odd decoration like a floral motif of ivory inlay or a fanlike bronze adornment, but he was always very restrained in style. As he became known for his work, Leleu was hired to design the interiors of the French President's train. He also worked on French ocean liners from 1927 onwards.

Other prestigious commissions included numerous French Embassies, the dining room in the Elysee Palace – the official residence of the French President – and also the Salon des Ambassadeurs in Geneva.

In the 1960s, with Leleu's son Andre in charge, the company's designs were again completely updated to the contemporary style.

"This cabinet is a very good example of the brilliant use of precious materials like tortoiseshell – which is no longer available for use – being manipulated by the talented hands of an exceptional designer," said Gallaghe.

"It is truly a stunning piece that would work well in many settings as it is such a focal point. I can see this used in a very clean and contemporary space on crisp, marble floors as a warm and intrinsically interesting juxtaposition to the coolness of the contemporary look.

"I can also see it used in a more traditional setting with rich wooden flooring and lush fabrics and tapestries to evoke that early 20th century feeling."

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