Paule Leleu, France

Paule Leleu (1906-1987) was the daughter of Jules Leleu, whose interior design studio was one of the most important in the inter-war period, undertaking the design and decoration of, for example, the U.N. Headquarters in Geneva, French Embassies and several liners. Until the mid 1930's Da Silva Bruhns was the main rug designer for the studio, after which Paule took over this role. The present lot was designed for the liner Paquebot Antilles, (Compagnie Générale Transatlantique), which was launched in April 1953.  The Antilles and her sister ship, the Flamande, were overhauled in 1963-64, which is probably when the carpet was removed, as the Antilles herself sank in January 1971 off the coast of Mustique, having struck an un-marked rock. The design of the present lot is typical of Paule Leleu's work, which often features symmetrical tessellated designs with repeating geometric motifs.