Ali Aboutaam

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.

Ali Aboutaam and Hicham Aboutaam are the brother team of Phoenix Ancient Art who welcome you on a journey into the fascinating world of ancient civilization. Stepping into either of the art galleries of Phoenix Ancient Art, located in New York and Geneva, is like embarking on a journey through the ages, as you observe antiquities dating back thousands of years.

The world of ancient art is our window onto the world and the civilizations that populated it prior to the birth of our modern cultures and societies. Phoenix Ancient Art, through Ali and Hicham Aboutaam, has brought the past alive at their galleries, which means that even the general public is able to benefit from the finds and artefacts that have often been the sole domain of archaeologists and art fanatics. When it comes to art displays and galleries, as well as art dealership in antiquities, the Aboutaam family is the one address you must visit!

Pheonix Ancient Art, under the proprietorship of Ali and Hicham Aboutaam has a wide variety of ancient works of art, some depicting  themes which are more common or that we are used to from modern artistic styles. One of the more unusual or less understood themes in ancient art is that of the “grotesque.”

The archeological term “grotesque” is used to denote a distinct and important class of objects. These artifacts are usually diminutive, and vary widely in their artistic quality. The “grotesques” exploit physical deformities in the subject matter for the enjoyment of the observers. The ancient artisan frequently exaggerated to the point of caricature the maladies depicted in their subjects.

This particular style was developed in areas such as Asia Minor (Smyrna) and in Egypt (Alexandria). However the popularity of the grotesque style spread throughout the entire Mediterranean during the Hellenistic and Roman Periods.

The subjects of the grotesques varied widely and could include men, on a rare occasion women and/or children, old men, dwarves, obese, emaciated and Africans.

Seen here is a wonderful example of a small statue from the Hellenistic Period. It dates for the 1st century B.C.E. until the 1st century A.D. The statue is most likely a depiction of old man with a domed, bald head; deeply lined face; emaciated back where you can even count the ribs and vertebrae; and frail, thin arms.

Ali Aboutaam and his brother Hicham are happy to present to the public on behalf of Phoenix Ancient Art amazing objects of beauty from the ancient world. Among the many pieces is an idol made from marble originating from the Anatolian world.

Dating from between the 6th and 4th millennium B.C.E. this statuette is 10.8 cm high and in an excellent state of preservation. The sculpture is a simplified representation of the human form, with only the head and arms clearly stated. The face is pointed upwards and the eyes and mouth are merely incisions of straight lines. The nose is a delicate bump and the arms are placed over the belly, without touching, without any indication of hands.

Anatolia is the geographic area where present day Turkey is. The word Anatolia comes from the Greek, meaning “east” or more literally “sunrise.”

Attic Greek Stamnos

In an interview with Hicham Aboutaam, we learn about a beautiful and rare stamnos, or Greek pottery, which was used in ancient times to carry liquids. In this case the liquid it carried was most likely wine.

According to Aboutaam this stamnos was made near the end of the 6th century, B.C.E. “Attic” refers to Attica, which includes Athens and was the prestige dialect of Greek.

Discussing the various types of storage containers in use in ancient Greece, Hicham explained that water would be stored in a hydria, wine in an amphora, and olive oil in a small, hanging alabastron. This stamnos was probably one of the most rare shapes of Greek vases.

This particular vase was decorated with a chariot race scene in which two dogs are included, one with a bone and the other dog running along with the horses. The Michigan painter, as he is known, depicted the scene with great feeling for the excitement and emotion of a chariot race.

On the shoulders of the vase a banquet is depicted, in which there found three women are alternating with three bearded men, reclining at the meal. According to Aboutaam it is unusual for women to be depicted on a vase in this way.

Geneva Gallery

The artworks showcased at Phoenix Ancient Art encompass more than 7,000 years of human development and creativity. The oldest artworks on display are from the Neolithic Period, dating back to the 6th Millennium B.C.E. The most recent works date from the 14th Century A.D.

Each work of art is displayed in a context of elegant simplicity in order to highlight each object in its own space without distracting from its own beauty and uniqueness. Collectors and admirers of art can much better focus their attention on each art object, giving it the attention it deserves and allowing for maximum concentration.

Greek Gold and Semiprecious Stone Jewelry Set of a Necklace and Matching Earrings

Objects on display at Phoenix Ancient Art are not only chosen for their special historical significance, but also for their beauty, aesthetic, and artistic value as well. Even more so, when an artifact is considered for display the first consideration is the object’s artistic appeal. Only after it is deemed worthy as an art object are the artwork’s other qualities considered, such as its age, culture of origin and historical value.

Each object testifies to the enormous craftsmanship, taste, and artistic nature of its civilization of origin, and brings our modern culture to a better understanding of our distant ancestors and the reality of their existence. All speak to us in a special way, from the divine sculptures, tasteful bronzes, delicate and rare glass, mosaics depicting mythological subjects, or exquisitely hand-crafted jewelry, they all bring us closer to the bygone cultures we owe so much about our own world to.