LONDON—The Grosvenor House Art and Antiques Fair?held since 1934 at its namesake Park Lane hotel in London—is grand and glamorous in an oldworld, utterly English way. This year it isbeing opened on June 12 by Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra, acousin of the Queen, while the Duke of Bedford is providing threeCanalettos from Woburn Abbey, his stately home, for the annual loanexhibition.

Running through June 18, the event, as usual, has anoutstanding lineup of galleries: 85 of the world’s finest dealers areoffering everything from a rare marquetry bookcase to Helmut Newtonphotographs to antique jewels. Among the new additions is the Londonbased Andrew Bruce & Bordeaux Index Fine Wines, on hand to giveadvice on wine investing. Fair veteran Mallett Antiques, of London andNew York, has a George II green lacquer bureau-bookcase, circa 1730.London’s Fine Art Society is bringing the English painter ChristopherWood?s Street in Tréboul, a vision of the Brittany coast villagepainted in 1930 (sadly, the year the artist committed suicide, at 29),for which it is asking £350,000 ($693,200). New York’s ? la VieilleRussie, the only U.S. participant, has a dazzling booth this year. Itsstand is lined with malachite, the semiprecious sea green stone fromwhich many of the treasures inside—vases small and tall, carved figuresand a sled on a rock-crystal base—were created. In addition to these,the dealer has also brought a selection of Fabergé pieces that are fromprivate collections and new to the market.

Across town the 35th editionof the Olympia International Art & Antiques Fair runs from June 5to 15 in an 86,000-square-foot convention center in London’s Shepherd’sBush neighborhood. The setting, part of the complex where Sotheby’smidmarket salesroom used to reside, may not be as posh as the Grosvenor’s, but it hasadvantages—most notably, it affords the nearly 260 dealers ample spaceto display their wares and, however large the crowds, never feelsclaustrophobic. And the range of material, and prices, is wider than atGrosvenor. ?poque Fine Jewels, of Kortrijk, Belgium, has a sensuousgold, diamond and enamel nymph brooch by the jeweler René Lalique.London’s Robert Dickson & Lesley Rendall is showing a 1940smahogany triple-section bookcase, both delicate and strong inappearance, designed in 1948–49 by the Italian duo Ico and Luisa Parisiand priced at £58,000 ($115,000). The stand of Vanderven &Vanderven Oriental Art, of Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, is aknockout: a freestanding structure in black leather with a wall ofblack glass, the work of the Dutch designer Marc de Lang. Among theimpressive pieces displayed is a Tang Dynasty (618–907) terra-cotta mingqi, or “spirit object,” priced at €95,000($150,000). The fellow atop the camel was intended to be buried withsomeone rich and powerful.

Capitalizing on its overlap with GrosvenorHouse, Olympia provides a Bond Street shuttle service connecting thetwo locations. And although its atmosphere is far more casual than thatof its compeer, connoisseurs find Olympia equally seductive.

"A Perfect Pair" originally appeared in the June 2008 issue of Art+Auction. For a complete list of articles from this issue available on ARTINFO, see Art+Auction's June 2008 Table of Contents.