Christoph Steidl Porenta | |
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![]() Steidl Porenta in his workshop in 2024 | |
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?]