DUMAS (FRENCH, 20TH CENTURY) A unique monolithic desk

DUMAS (FRENCH, 20TH CENTURY) A unique monolithic desk, designed and executed 1980s, limestone with ammonite inclusions from the Jurassic / Cretaceous period, in a variety of finishes, hand-carved, polished and raw, black leather writing surface, 74cm x 184cm x 109cm Provenance: The following paragraph is the history of the desk as recalled by the current owner, the former CEO of the InterContinental Hotels group worldwide, which at the time had two of the most prestigious hotels in Paris: the Hotel Intercontinental and the Grand Hotel Café de la Paix. "When we bought the desk, probably in 1988, it was displayed at the Louvre in Paris as part of a modern design exhibition, where it had earned first prize. It was sold to us by a design firm, named Collectania, which was based in the Louvre des Antiquaires and appeared to represent the designer(s). In fact we had a conversation with a Mr. Dumas at the site of the exhibition. At the same time, as we liked the style and materials of the desk very much and were just in the process of renovating and furnishing our flat in Mayfair, we commissioned three other pieces from the same designers through Collectania: a fireplace surround, a sideboard and an entire bathroom all for the same flat. I remember that Mr. Dumas sent us the designs before they were executed."