Ali Aboutaam

The buzz was felt by all at the recent International Fine Art & Antique Dealers Show at the Park Avenue Armory in October. Apter-Fredericks of London, which sells 18th-century English furniture, had a fantastic opening night. London book dealer Bernard Shapero sold a large “Ricci map” which is one of seven copes of the map fo the world that was made by Italian Jesuit priest Matteo Ricci in 1602.

Certainly, Phoenix Ancient Art, with Ali Aboutaam and Hicham Aboutaam, was there, showing their exceptional antiques. At the opening, the Aboutaam gallery sold a Greek oinochoe-shaped head vase that dated from the 5th century B.C. It went for $300,000. They also sold a large fragment of a basalt turtle from Egypt or Mesopotamia from around 3000 B.C.

Another antiques dealer, James Ede, sold 13 pieces on the opening night and had three more on reserves. A great success for everyone!

Certainly, it’s not always easy to know how to go about purchasing an antique. There are a number of precautions that you can take to make sure that you get a legitimate antique and one from a reputable company.

Take a look at the U.S. State Departments website where you’ll see which countries have bilateral agreements on antiques or emergency rulings. The site also offers an image database where you can see pictures of restricted artifacts.

You can also check images against the Art Loss Register which is an international database of lost and stolen art. Certainly, the more that you know about the piece that you are buying, the more valuable it will be. Make sure to work with a reputable auction house and that you buy from auction houses that offer money-back guarantees. Ali Aboutaam and Hicham Aboutaam, for instance, offer this money-back guarantee at Phoenix Ancient Art, which makes a tremendous difference in the dependability of the purchase.

Here is an example of the beautiful antiquities from Egypt available from Phoenix Ancient Art. The scarab is an example of the most popular type of amulet worn in ancient Egypt. This scarab, dating from the 1600 BC to the 1200 BC has a carved exterior that is made to look like a scarab beetle. The scarab beetle was a symbol of rebirth in ancient Egypt and was also representative of Ra, the Egyptian sun god.

This type of scarab theme in amulets was first seen in the First Intermediary period and it persisted through the Late period. The Egyptians believed that a giant scarab beetle pushed the sun across the sky each day and this popularity led to its depiction in jewelry and other items. This is one of the many examples of ancient Egyptian antiques available from Ali Aboutaam and Hicham Aboutaam.

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.

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.

For sale at Phoenix Ancient Art is a beautiful ceramic bottle from the Safavid dynasty which ruled in Iran from 1501 until 1736. The Safavids ruled over one of the greatest of the Persian Empires since the Islamic conquest of Persia in 644, thus this 11cm high bottle is a wonderful synthesis of two great cultures, Islam and Persia.

The bottle is simply, but elegantly adorned with a white floral decoration, which is painted on the light beige ceramic and then glazed in green celadon.

This bottle dates from about the 17th century, and is a beautiful addition to any antiquities collection.

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 hopefully 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.

Also from the Byzantine period is a silver lamp made from a sheet done in the open work technique of silver engraving. There are three small chains which end at a central hook attached to the lamps upper edge. A clear glass cup was placed inside the silver lamp, which was filled with oil to create light. (Unfortunately the glass cup is lost.) Because the silver is an open work type, light was able to filter through the lamp and was gently diffused onto the surrounding area, while the solid silver parts reflected the light onto the ceiling, creating maximum light by utilizing the reflective properties of the metal.

Most likely the lamp hung above an altar.

The Aboutaams of Phoenix Ancient Art describe this lamp as the finest of a known group of similar lamps, all dating to between the 10th and 12th centuries. A lamp of similar shape is still in use today at the Armenian Church in Jerusalem.

The 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.

Park Avenue Armory

Participating for the third consecutive year, Phoenix Ancient Art is anticipating the most successful representation in the 2009 International Fine Art and Antique Dealers Show. This fair featuring more than 60 high-end art dealerships is being organized by impresarios Brian and Anna Haughton of England. Among the huge variety of artworks and objects of interest will be Egyptian sculptures, African masks, Islamic artworks, jewelry, silver, rugs, clocks, paintings old and new, and other genres strange, rare and wonderful.

Ali and Hicham Aboutaam will be anchoring their booth at position E2 at the Park Avenue Armory, with a larger than life sculpture, carved in green basalt, of a muscular man’s torso, from the Roman period.

Phoenix will be featuring many more representatives from their wide ranging collection. For convenience and interest’s sake the Aboutaams will be publishing a catalog of their objects available at the fair. The catalogue will be available at the opening of the show.

The show will take place from October 16th until the 22nd. The Aboutaams urge you to come on down and be swept away by the incredible variety and beauty of artwork from the ancient world.