Christoph Steidl Porenta | |
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Occupation(s) | Silversmith, goldsmith |
Christoph Steidl Porenta (born 1965) is a silversmith and goldsmith who lives and works in Slovenia. He is a knight of the Sovereign Order of Malta.
Steidl Porenta (born Schneck) was born in Munich, Bavaria in West Germany on 5 May 1965.[1] He went to school in Pullach, became an industrial mechanic, and studied goldsmithing at Münsterschwarzach Abbey.[1] He was inspired by the goldsmithing of René Lalique.[2][3]
In addition to being a silversmith and goldsmith, Steidl Porenta works with restoration. Since 1993, he works in Ljubljana, Slovenia.[4] His work has been exhibited in Germany, Italy and Slovenia[4][1][5] and he is the only master silversmith in Slovenia.[6][better source needed] A journalist from Dnevnik said in 2019 that his works "surprise and inspire with their rich expressiveness and bear a modern stamp with a touch of the past, fairy tales, mysteries and a touch of anxiety, to counterbalance the perfection of beauty."[2]
He has a shop and studio in Ljubljana, called Zlato runo (Golden fleece). His work include ecclesiastical rings, the hands of the clock of a cathedral,[6][2] glasses, cups[7] and sculptures.[8] He has made a reliquary to Francis of Assisi for the Bazilika Marije Pomagaj in Brezje.[9][10]
In 2017, he designed an exhibition at the National Gallery of Slovenia, celebrating the 800th anniversary of the Order of Malta in Slovenia.[11][12] As of 2023, he has three apprentices, and says[3]
It is important to me that each piece of jewelry is unique and something special. Today, it can quickly be devalued through mass production, but jewelry is a personal thing, the wearer expresses himself with it.[3]
Steidl Porenta moved to Slovenia since he had met a Slovenian woman and married her.[13][7] He is a descendant of Melchior Steidl, (1657-1727), an Austrian baroque painter.[2][14] As of 2023, he lives in Cerklje na Gorenjskem.[3]
As of 2013, since the late 1990s, he had a pet raven named Orhan. Steidl Porenta said that the bird was a useful companion, since it would indicate around noon that it was hungry, and so remind Steidl Porenta that he should also eat something.[15][13]
Steidl Porenta is a knight of the Sovereign Order of Malta.[2][when?]