CHRISTOPH STEIDL PORENTA, Slovenia
Hidden Treasure
Christoph Steidl Porenta in a chalice Hidden Treasure dissects the symmetrical form along the horizontal axis. The treasure is not where it should be, in the bowl, the cup, but takes on a materialistic form of semi-precious and precious stones and is hidden in the bottom of the chalice. The carved hollow form intended for wine (the real treasure) is guarded by a snake, whose body weaves through the resulting cracks, symbolically emphasizing – together with the “textile” wrapping and the floret embedded in the coral – the transience of human greed and avarice.
Material: partially gilded silver, rutilated smoky quartz, bamboo coral, diamonds, peridot, rubies, turquoise, garnets, amethyst, tourmalines, sapphire, zircon, enamel, pearls, porcelain
Christoph Steidl Porenta was born in 1965 in Munich, Germany. He studied goldsmithing at the Münsterschwarzach Abbey School, with additional theoretical education in Würzburg. Until 1993, he worked as a designer of jewelry and utility objects made of precious metals, as well as a goldsmith, silversmith and restorer at the Benedictine Abbey of Münsterschwarzach. Since 1993, he has lived and worked in Ljubljana, where he runs the Zlato runo (Golden Fleece) atelier and shop. He creates unique jewelry, liturgical objects and sculptures, and is also active in the field of restoration – among his most important works is the reliquary of St. Francis of Assisi for the Brezje shrine. In 2017, he curated the exhibition Ave crux alba – 800 Years of the Order of Malta in Slovenia at the National Gallery. In recent years he has exhibited at home and abroad, mainly in Slovenia, Germany and France. His early exposure to the jewelry of René Lalique had a lasting influence on him, and he is a mentor to younger artists. In 2014 he was knighted in the Sovereign Order of Malta.
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