“La Pâtisserie Gloppe”

by Jean Béraud

“La Pâtisserie Gloppe” by Jean Béraud shows the interior of a pâtisserie on the Champs-Élysées as well as the clientele and employees. The clientele represents the wealthier society of the 1890s, enjoying a variety of pâtisserie with beverages. Adults and children are all shown in various stages of selecting or tasting some delicacy. Two employees dressed in black and wearing long white aprons are serving their customers. A well-behaved black dog, with a shiny collar and gemstones, is waiting in anticipation.

The shop is decorated in gold trim, and a gold chandelier with four white candles hangs from the ceiling. The decorations and people are reflected in the large mirror on the back wall of the room. Other narrower mirrors are also located on the sides of the room to create the illusion of a larger room.

The Cul de Paris fashion is represented on most of the women in the form of a bustle. It was a padded undergarment used to add fullness or support the drapery at the back of women’s dresses in the mid-to-late 19th century.

Pâtisserie

A pâtisserie is a French bakery that specializes in pastries and sweets. In French or Belgian, it is a legally controlled title that may only be used by bakeries that employ a licensed maître pâtissier or master pastry chef. The pâtissier is a pastry chef who has completed a lengthy training process, typically an apprenticeship and passed a written examination.

Jean Béraud

Jean Béraud (1849 – 1935) was a French painter renowned for his paintings depicting the life of Paris. His pictures of the Champs Elysees, cafés, Montmartre, and the banks of the Seine, detail the everyday Parisian experience.

La Pâtisserie Gloppe

• Title:                La Pâtisserie Gloppe
• French:            La Pâtisserie Gloppe au Champs-Élysées
• Artist:              Jean Béraud
• Created:          1889
• Medium:         Oil on canvas
• Museum:        Musée Carnavalet

Jean Béraud

• Name:            Jean Béraud
• Born:              1849, Saint Petersburg
• Died:              1935 (aged 86), Paris
• Nationality:    French
• Notable work:
  • After the Service at Holy Trinity Church, Christmas 1890
  • “La Pâtisserie Gloppe” by Jean Béraud
  • Jean Béraud’s Art

Reflections

• What do you think of the Cul de Paris fashion of a padded undergarment?
• Can you still find pâtisserie shops like this one?
• Should more countries require a legally controlled title based on the employment of a master pastry chef?
• What do you find the most interesting in this painting?

Explore Museums in Paris

• The Louvre
• Musée National du Moyen Age – Thermes de Cluny (National Museum of Medieval Art)
• Musée d’Orsay
• Musée Rodin
• Musée Carnavalet

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“Paris is always a good idea.”
– Audrey Hepburn

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Photo Credit 1) Own work Jean Béraud [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]