Jul 20

This exquisite piece of the Palmyran Funerary Plaque of a Woman with her Mother comes from the first half of the 2nd century A.D.
This well preserved slab includes the bust of an adult woman who is richly clothed and accompanied by a second woman with a bare torso.  Their faces, as is typical with Palmyran sculptures, don’t display personal character and suggest a vaguely young age.  The woman on the right of the plaque, clearly the deceased, is the matron. This was the woman’s role within the house. She is ornately dressed and adorned in jewels.
The figure on the left is clearly a family member accompanying the deceased. This was very common on Palmyran funerary plaques.
As Phoenix Ancient Art explains, “Stylistically, this plaque can be attributed to the final phases of the first group of Palmyran sculpture and dates to the first half of the 2nd century A.D.; the type of earrings, the schematic folds of the fabric, the shape of the eyes (two concentric circles for the iris and the pupil) confirm this dating.”
Jul 3

If you’re looking for a unique antique, Phoenix Ancient Art with Hicham Aboutaam and Ali Aboutaam is certainly the place to look.  One of their most recent additions is the Greek Head of a goddess from the Greek World in the Late 5th century B.C.  This head is complete and is carved from a block of fine-grained white marble.  The nose was added in plaster and the upper skull was completed with other materials.

The indications of the diadem or crown with or without a veil or helmet indicate that this figure wasn’t a mortal.  The mythological figure could have been Hera, Demeter, Persephone, Aphrodite or Artemis.  It may even have been Athena, if the head were protected by a helmet.

The style of the statue certainly fixes the date to the Classical period, between the last decades of the 5th or the early 4th century B.C.  During this period, the Greek world was shaken by the fratricidal Peloponnesian War.

Jun 12

Certainly, it’s always interesting to learn about antiques that galleries have for sale.  One beautiful and intricate item is the Syrian Seated Female Satuette of the Tell Halaf type.  This piece was acquired by Hicham Aboutaam and Ali Aboutaam of Phoenix Ancient Art on the English Art Market in 1995 in London.

It is from the 6th Millennium B.C. from Syria and is 7.2 cm high.   The statuette was part of the Tell Halaf culture, a famous site in Northern Syria which was excavated in the 1930s.  While many pieces from the period were not well preserved, this piece is in great condition.

This image was hand-shaped and represents a seated woman with her legs drawn back towards her body and her long arms framing her large breasts.  The representation of a female image with generous proportions was very common and showed the importance that the agro-pastoral communities during that time placed on fertility and fecundity for survival.

Jun 5

Ali Aboutaam, through the e-Tiquities website and with his brother Hicham, sells many different types of ancient elegant artworks, spanning a variety of different time periods.  One of these is the Persian Empire which is actually a combination of a group of empires: Median, Achaemenid, Parthian, Sassanian.  This is what makes Persian art so interesting.  One cannot say that there is standard or classic Persian art because it was made over so many different periods, spanning a variety of cultures.  Yet there are still a few motifs that can be seen on all art associated with the Persian Empire, such as the hunt.

Ali Aboutaam and Persian Flask

Currently on sale by Phoenix Ancient Art from this time period is a Sassanian pinched glass flask which is made from yellow-tinged blown glass.  It was probably used for pricey cosmetics or perfume and originally had a stopper.  It has a very narrow neck which suggests the contents were quite precious, restricting the flow.  It is called Sassanian due to its decorative motif, common on Sassanian vessels from the 3rd century AD.

May 16

Ali Aboutaam, co-owner of Phoenix Ancient Art, specializes in various different time periods of historic art.  One such era is the Geometric and Orientalizing Greek Era.  This spans the 9th and 8th centuries BC and was produced throughout Greece, especially Athens.  In fact, in Athens during this time, much geometric pottery was being produced.  In fact, since people seemed to desire good quality dishes around 900 BC, potters really focused on what they were making and put much more detail into their pottery than they had done previously.  Vases with geometric and animal designs are typical of the Geometric Era whereas the Orientalizing Era typically depicts near-eastern motifs through metalwork.
Geometric Art Sold Through Phoenix Ancient Art

The Aboutaams currently have five pieces of art from this time period on sale through e-Tiquities as well as a number of catalogues.  These gems are: a Geometric bronze bird stamp seal; 2 Geometric bronze bulls; a Geometric bronze pendant Pyxis; and a Geometric bronze spherical pendant. This last piece – the pendant – sells for $1,600 and comprises three parts: vertical incisions in the middle; triangle incisions both at the top and bottom; upper stem pierced and curved.

May 6

Madison Avenue is set to hold their third annual Gallery Walk, on May 15, 2010.  Phoenix Ancient Art will be participating in this event along with over 50 other art galleries.  It is set to be quite a prestigious affair for all those serious about art.  Faculty members from the New York City public school will lead groups on free tours of galleries on Madison Avenue.  Partners and sponsors of the event include: HSBC Bank; the Fund for Public Schools; New York Magazine, hosted by Madison Avenue.
Phoenix Ancient Art Working Toward Fund Raising

As well as being a highly successful company, by taking part in the above event, Phoenix Ancient Art will be helping arts education in the city of New York’s public schools. The event is seeking to raise monies for the Fund for Public Schools.  Events at the fundraiser include:  scavenger hunt; meeting those who work in art such as artist Winfred Rembert (who is currently exhibiting ‘Memories of my Youth’), curator Chris Santa Maria and art owner Larry Matlick.  There will be special talks and viewings as well as opportunities to meet interesting and well-rounded artists, owners and curators discussing exhibitions in particular and their work in general.

Feb 7

One of the largest antique shows in the world just concluded. The 55th Brussels Antiques and Fine Arts Fair ran in Brussels from January 22nd to January 31st. 130 antique dealers, including Hicham Aboutaam and Ali Aboutaam of Phoenix Ancient Art, came out to display their outstanding antiques. 36,000 visitors from Belgium and abroad were expected to come to the Tour & Taxi site which includes 133,472 square feet of space.

Started in 1955, the Brussels Antiques and Fine Arts Fair was originally named the Belgium Antiques and Fine Arts Fair. It is said to be the oldest annual event of its type in the world and it welcomes antique dealers from throughout the world to come and display their wares. Antiques on display include Oceanic art, African art, Oriental art, silver, antique jewelery, ceramics, earthenware and porcelain, drawings, engravings, old masters, modern painting, sculpture, carpets, tapestry, antique and modern books, numismatic, contemporary painting and sculpture, and photography.

Jan 31

Find out more about why investing in antiquities could be a great idea for your portolio. Hicham Aboutaam of Phoenix Ancient Art shares suggestions for purchasing antiquities.

Nov 5

In an amazing synthesis of the extraordinarily old with the most up-to-the-minute new, Hicham and Ali Aboutaam of Phoenix Ancient Art launched their landmark web site, E-tiquities. Click your way over to E-tiquities and get a gander of the most beautiful objects which have been cherished and preserved for thousands of years until our day. You are more than welcome to just browse, since one of the goals of this unique web-site is to open up the world of ancient art to a broader audience, to educate them about art from the deep past, and to ancient computerhopefully interest them to belong to this special club of people who, more than owning the precious objects, become guardians of them for the future.

Even computer geeks might want to participate in the chain of ownership through the millennia, acknowledging that not everything is measured in nanoseconds, or gets obsolete in 5 years time.

Oct 22

Gold marriage ring from Phoenix Ancient ArtThe Aboutaam brothers Ali and Hicham of Phoenix Ancient Art offer a beautiful marriage ring under the category of “jewels and gemstones.” This object is a fascinating solid gold ring from the Byzantine epic. Amazing detail sets this ring off as an exquisite example of the survival of a pagan Roman custom into the context of the recently developed Christian religion.

Depicting the busts of a bride and groom bisected by a cross, a bust of Christ hovers above them with the inscription “BEOY OMONOIA” which is Greek for “concord in God”  placed above and below. The groom’s figure is engraved with an oval-shaped brooch clasping his flounced cloak closed. The bride is adorned with pearl earrings and a matching pearl collar around her neck.

Roman marriage contracts were customarily signed in front of the Emperor’s image, but the Byzantines chritianized this practice by switching the head of Christ for that of the Emperor, as seen is the coin which is approximately 1,500 years old.

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