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Calliope in ancient mythology is the »beautiful-voiced«, and, among the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (»memory«), is considered the muse of epic poetry. In his table-talks, Plato grants her primacy among the muses; Homer sings about her as the mother of Orpheus. Her characteristic attributes are pen and tablet. Small wonder then that in traditional metal, particularly in Art Nouveau, they were used as final pieces under the term calliope, at the end of a column enclosed by lines. For Partenheimer, they are eponymous for an edition he created for the Nymphenburg porcelain manufactory, Munich, of three differently shaped vessel. He based the sculptural vessels on his abstract construction drawings that distinguish him once more as a representative of a minimalist, yet highly personal and poetic-conceived stylistic vocabulary. The vessels in the edition »CALLIOPE« are hand-turned, a practice rarely used in the history of the Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory where traditionally they tend to work with molds; moreover, in their appearance they are determined entirely by the specific nature of the material, which undergoes quite unpredictable transformations during wetting and drying, as well as during firing and glazing. The molds are deliberately exposed to conditions where the porcelain is melted, moved, compacted and cured. The edition of the vessels has been issued in different versions whereby three different forms have been combined in an exclusive edition of seven copies, either biscuit or glaze-fired, and in different variations of colors and patterns. The resulting vessels, unique in form and design, are signed and numbered by the artist. After several presentations of individual pieces, this book, on the occasion of the exhibition at the Musée Ariana in Geneva, presents for the first time the entire series, along with drawings and documentary photos of various stages.
Exhibition:
Musée Ariana Genève, 20/11/2015–20/3/2016
