Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The bakery Au Moulin de la Vierge, located at 105 rue Vercingétorix in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, is a remarkable testimony of decorative art applied to shops at the beginning of the 20th century. Its interior, designed around 1907, is distinguished by a painted ceiling representing a sky and walls covered with ceramic tiles signed A. Ebel, ceramicist installed at 47 rue de Paradis. These elements, characteristic of Art Nouveau eclecticism and the hygienist influences of the time, were designed to sublimate the utility space of a bakery into a work of art accessible to the public.

The interior decoration, attributed to the Benoist et Fils workshop, was protected by a registration order for the Historical Monuments on 2 May 1979. This measure was initially intended to preserve the elements and relocate them to a new building, which was eventually abandoned. The bakery thus illustrates the challenges of preserving the Parisian artisanal heritage, often threatened by urban renovations. Today, the site remains a private property, emphasizing the fragility of historical commercial settings in the face of the city's changes.

The ceramic tiles, marked with the name of A. Ebel, and the ceiling celestial frescoes reflect the influence of the artistic movements of the era, mixing symbolism and functionality. The Benoist et Fils workshop, specializing in interior decorations, has here signed an emblematic creation of Parisian bakeries of the early 20th century, where art was also used to enhance the image of mouth shops. The approximate location (noted 6/10 in precision) and the lack of protection extended to the outside frame reinforce the importance of this partial classification.

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