The Jugendstil-artist Gustav Gurschner, known for his striking bronze creations inspired by French Art Nouveau, designed various objects for study rooms, including several table lamps. Soon after his debut at the first exhibition of the Vienna Secession in 1898, companies such as Johann Loetz Witwe and E. Bakalowits Söhne turned to him for artistically designed lighting objects which were then combined with stunning shades from their glass manufactories. 

The stylized, floral and plantlike ornamentation of Art Nouveau had been a notable source of inspiration for Gurschner ever since his stay in Paris around 1897. It is clearly recognizable in this table lamp as well. The bronze lamp base coils upwards like an elongated leaf, its veins sculpturally formed. The back of the lamp base, on the other hand, is shaped like an elegantly curved bundle of thin branches winding its way up, with individual strands detaching at the top to form a delicate, partly woven supporting structure for the lampshade. 

The shade, made of delicately iridescent glass with the Phenomen Genre 8065 décor by Johann Loetz Witwe, is adorned with a dense pattern of silver-yellow threads. The upper part of the shade is further decorated with delicate silver-yellow bands drawn downwards into individual droplets. The shade adds a subtle elegance to the lamp and creates a soft, atmospheric light.



signed "Gurschner" on the foot, marked “déposé” along the foot and stamped “MOD No. 25” on the underside