Hicham Aboutaam: Egyptian Schist

In the next of our series on Phoenix Ancient Art’s piece, we’re looking at this fascinating item.

This piece from the Saite Period is a relic of a bygone era. Many pieces from this time also feature schist and they take advantage of the elegance this material yields.
Here, this piece shows a man squatting, his arms crossed over his knees and his legs bent. Most likely he was a senior official of sorts.

Pieces of this nature were placed in temples so that the dead could continue to play a role in religious service, part of the Egyptians’ well-known concern with the after-life.

This piece was on public display in 2019 at both La Biennale in Paris, and at PAD London.