Hicham Aboutaam Online » hicham aboutaam

Phoenix Ancient Art Unveiling Statue of Leto Holding Apollo & Artemis

Alex — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 08:35:32 +0000

Phoenix Ancient Art, a premier gallery specializing in Classical Antiquities and owned by brothers Hicham Aboutaam and Ali Aboutaam, will exhibit in the Biennale des Antiquaires in Paris soon. This magnificent event will take place at the Grand Palais from September 15-22, 2010 and will display the finest works of art on the market today.

Phoenix Ancient Art will unveil masterworks including a Statue of Leto Holding Apollo and Artemis. This statue from the Roman Imperial Period from the 2^nd century A.D. is marble and stands 98 centimeters high. The entire work is carved in the round from a single piece of fine-grained marble. The group is almost completely intact and it resembles a Greek original dating from the 5^th century B.C.

Hicham Aboutaam and South Arabian Art History

Alex — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 14:09:41 +0000

The South Arabian people (more commonly known as the Sabaeans), resided in south west of the Arabian Peninsula (the place we know today as Yemen) and conversed in an old version of the South Arabian language. It has been said that they were linked to the Biblical place, Sheba. Ma’rib was the capital of the ancient Sabaean Kingdom which was conquered in the late 3rd century by the Himyarites. There were various different regional kingdoms belonging to the Sabaeans throughout ancient Yemen and the trade most popular amongst these people was spice (with a special emphasis on myrrh and frankincense). In terms of art and antiques, inscriptions in Musnad and documents in Zabur can be found. The best known South Arabian art is their distinctive sculpture, both free-standing and in relief. This was very often carved in alabaster, and some of these are sold by Hicham Aboutaam at Phoenix Ancient Art. Currently on sale in this collection is a South Arabian Stone Head for $8,500.

Understanding Greek Culture Through Antiques

Alex — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 06:06:54 +0000

One way of understanding ancient Greek culture and history, is by taking a look at the artwork from the time. Pottery from ancient Greece has helped many people form a basic comprehension of the place, people and culture. Indeed, it has even been said that such pottery “paints a portrait of the world of ancient Greece.” At Phoenix Ancient Art, Hicham Aboutaam has a few impressive pieces from this time on sale including a core-formed glass Amphoriskos for $6,500 which probably at the time contained some kind of perfume. From this piece one can learn a bit about the history of antiques in general since it was quite common to use finely produced glass vessels for valuable commodities that started in the late Bronze Age and later revived in Mesopotamia in the early Iron Age.

News in the World of Antique Art

Alex — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 09:34:48 +0000

For those interested in news in the world of antique arts, a recent discovery was uncovered at the ancient city of Myra, near present-day Demre. The revelation was made six meters under ground level. It was a Byzantine church that is said to date back to the 12th century. Unfortunately, the church’s dome has been somewhat damaged over the centuries, but what is quite amazing is that its roof and tiles remain intact and the actual structure of the church remains intact.

Unusual Antique News: Coffins in Cyprus

Alex — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 06:31:41 +0000

In recent news around the world, the AP reports that four clay coffins estimated to be 2000 years old were unearthed in Cyprus. The coffins, untouched by grave robbers, were said to be from the east Mediterranean Island’s Hellenistic to early Roman periods, from between 300 B.C. to 100 A.D.

“The undisturbed coffins will help us add to our knowledge and understanding of that period of Cyprus history,” Hadjicosti said.

In addition, other items found at the site included human skeletal remains, terra cotta urns and more. All of these were discovered while workers were fixing a sidewalk in a resort location.

Phoenix Ancient Art Background with Ali Aboutaam & Hicham Aboutaam

Alex — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 06:28:36 +0000

Certainly, if you are interested in collecting antiques, or if you are already an antique collector, you have many choices. There are many antique dealers today who offer outstanding products and exceptional quality. One such dealer is Phoenix Ancient Art. They are a second generation Ancient Art company, originally founded in the mid 1960s by the late S. Aboutaam.

Having taken up his passion, Mr. Aboutaam’s sons are, today, the owners of the company. Ali Aboutaam and Hicham Aboutaam run and manage both the Geneva gallery and the New York gallery (pictured here). Phoenix Ancient Art offers treasures from a large range of locations and time periods. Its scope includes Mesopotamia, the Near East, Egypt, Europe, the Balkans, Eurasia, Byzantium, the Steppes, Greece and the Roman Empire.

Egyptian Amulet of the Goddess Bastet at Phoenix Ancient Art

Alex — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 08:58:48 +0000

One of the more recent arrivals at Phoenix Ancient Art, owned by Hicham Aboutaam and Ali Aboutaam, is the Egyptian Amulet of the Goddess Bastet. This amulet is in an excellent state of preservation and is from the 3^rd Intermediary Period, from around the 8^th-7^th century B.C. in Egypt. The amulet is complete, and it has retained its original intense blue color.

Her throne was made with a technique that was very popular at the end of the New Kingdom and into the beginning of the first millennium B.C. The faience was first cast and the openwork was then created by cutting away unwanted elements with a knife. While the amulet is quite small in size, the work’s quality is excellent and a number of the anatomical details have been rendered with great precision.

The goddess Bastet was quite popular at the end of the Bronze Age and, as was quite common in Egyptian art, the figure has the body of a human and the head of an animal. Bastet is considered a mild mannered, sweeter version of the dangerous goddess Sekhmet. She is the patron of the priestly doctors of Sekhmet and she protected women in childbirth and children.

Shipwrecks Providing Materials for Antique Auctions & More

Alex — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 08:53:05 +0000

The NY Times reports on an interesting recent development in the antique world. In the last six years, more auctions have shown salvaged materials and memorabilia from “ships of tragedy” or shipwrecks such as the Normandie and the Andrea Doria.

Bonhams in New York is featuring a sale titled “Life on Board” now with a canvas life jacket, drinking vessels, dinner plates and more from famous shipwrecks. This is certainly not the type of antique most of us associate with the word “antique” but it is making for some interesting headlines and news!

Hicham Aboutaam Selling South Italian Art

Alex — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 07:08:44 +0000

Hicham Aboutaam, co-proprietor of Phoenix Ancient Art, sells antiques from a variety of different historical time periods. One of these is South Italian, also known as Italiote. Pieces during this time frame were made in Magna Graecia (the coastal regions around Southern Italy on the Tarentine Gulf, colonized exclusively by Greek settlers). The time frame was the 4th century BC. In terms of artistic themes throughout this period, it was the red figure pottery that it was most famous for, which has a very unique and easily distinguishable style. The five regions that crafted Southern Italian art were: Apulia, Campania, Lucania, Paestum, and Sicily.

Amazing Artifacts Being Unearthed in Egypt

Alex — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 09:22:34 +0000

Certainly, it’s always exciting when antiques are discovered and artifacts are unearthed. In recent archeological news in Alexandria, Egypt, divers have been exploring a palace and temple from Cleopatra’s rule that were submerged as a result of earthquakes and tsunamis over 1600 years ago.

This is considered to be one of the richest underwater archeological sites in the world and is certainly worth taking notice of! For enthusiasts, the finds from this excavation will be on display at Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute from June 5 to January 2nd in an exhibition titled, “Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt.”