Table lamp Gustav Gurschner ca. 1901

Chased by Apollo, the nymph Daphne according to Greek mythology asks to be transformed into a different shape. Her desperate wish is fulfilled, and she is transformed into a laurel tree. Daphne’s metamorphosis is subject of numerous depictions in fine art and applied arts.
Gustav Gurschner captures the moment of the beginning but inexorable transformation, in which twigs and leaves sprout from the nymph’s arms, and her feet transform into a trunk firmly rooted to the soil. He brilliantly processes the topic combining figurative and floral motifs. Obviously, in the still unharmed body the sensual component is not neglected either.
Gurschner’s stay in Paris after his studies at the Vienna School of Arts and Crafts, brought him into contact with the figurative and floral style of French Art Nouveau, with its curvilinear forms and sensual female figures. On this design one cannot only detect French influence. The electric table lamp is also a good example of Gurschner’s openness to technical innovations.