Jugendstil mirror Gustav Gurschner ca. 1902

His stay in Paris for study purposes in 1897, brought the young Gustav Gurschner into contact with new trends in sculpture, and strongly influenced his further artistic work. Candleholders, table lamps and other artistically designed utilitarian objects dating from this period are strongly inspired by the French floral Art Nouveau, as can be seen is this mirror frame.
Defining decorative elements on this mirror are the fan-shaped ginkgo leaves. Featuring a very harmonious, almost symmetrical form, these leaves find an ideal correspondence in the perfectly symmetrical ornamentation on the mirror-frame. Arranged in relief in the upper section, they protrude into the mirror in a much more plastic manner on its lower part.
In Asian culture, the ginkgo tree stands for love and happiness. The use of this highly symbolic motif strongly reflects the influence of Japonism in European fine arts and arts and crafts at the end of the 19th century.