Courtesy Phoenix Ancient Art

Phoenix Ancient Art had a larger-than-life-size torso of a male youth dating from the first century A.D., which was priced at $8 million.

Courtesy Agnew's

Sir John Everett Millais's "My First Sermon" was commissioned by dealer Julian Agnew's great-great-grandfather in 1863. It was priced at $400,000 at the fair.

Egon Schiele Oskar Kokoschka Thomas Chippendale William Etty Charles Rennie Mackintosh Sir John Everett Millais Charles Rennie Mackintosh When in… London

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The makeup of this year’s fair, produced by Anna and Brian Haughton of London, is different, however; 15 dealers from last year have dropped out. Twenty newcomers were added in their place, for a total of 65 exhibitors, three more than last year, but the shift meant reduced offerings in some areas and new concentrations in others.

The defection of dealers such as London's Richard Green and Colnaghi, for example, left Agnew’s as the only Old Master paintings dealer at the fair. But no matter. Agnew’s booth contained a charming painting by Sir John Everett Millais that was commissioned from the artist by gallery chairman Julian Agnew’s great-great-grandfather in 1863. The work, My First Sermon, which was priced at $400,000, depicts the artist’s daughter Effie, sitting in church at age five, listening to a sermon with great concentration. The booth also had one of the biggest bargains at the fair, a painting by William Etty (1787–1849) of Venus and Cupid priced at $25,000. Etty, an English artist known best for his nudes, was once more popular than he is now, says Agnew.

There was a buzz at the opening that has not been seen here for at least two years as crowds came not only to admire the splendid works of art on view, but to buy as well.

Apter-Fredericks of London, which specializes in 18th-century English furniture, had a splendid opening night. In the opening 20 minutes of a show they sold a rare carved mahogany kettle stand with hairy-paw feet, circa 1760, to an American collector. The asking price was around $180,000. Later in the evening they sold a pair of George III giltwood armchairs by Thomas Chippendale, circa 1775, to a different American collector for a price in the region of $120,000. The chairs were part of a suite of drawing room furniture made for Lord and Lady Worsley’s house on the Isle of Wight. Later they belonged to the Maharajah of Baroda.

Also on the opening night, London books dealer Bernard Shapero sold a massive “Ricci map,” one of seven copies of the map of the world made by the Italian Jesuit priest Matteo Ricci in 1602, which shows the world with China at its center. The map was sold for a price around $1 million to a philanthropist who intends to donate it to an American institution.

But if the Old Master paintings selection was much thinner than usual this year, the addition of Ariadne Galleries made the usual offerings in antiquities even stronger. The New York dealer brought a large bronze South Arabian sculpture of a bearded man dating from the 8th century B.C that was priced at $900,000 as well as a stunning Roman mosaic featuring Aphrodite surrounded by marine gods and sea creatures, dating from the 1st to 2nd century AD and priced at $390,000. There was “enormous interest” in both pieces, said gallery owner Torkom Demirjian.

At New York and Geneva’s Phoenix Ancient Art the star of the stand was a larger-than-life-sized torso of a nude male youth in Roman black basalt, dating from the late 1st century AD and priced at $8 million. There had been interest in the piece from both collectors and museums, said gallery co-owner Hicham Aboutaam. At the opening the gallery sold a Greek oinochoe-shaped head vase dating from the 5th century B.C. to a New York collector for $300,000 and a very large fragment of a basalt turtle from Egypt or Mesopotamia, ca. 3000 B.C., to another New York collector for a six-figure sum. A set of Greek armor from the 4th century B.C comprising a cuirass (breastplate), helmet, and greaves (shin guards) and carrying an asking price of $700,000 was “in negotiation” at press time, according to Aboutaam.

London antiquities dealer James Ede, owner of Charles Ede Gallery, said that he had sold 13 pieces on the opening night and had three others on reserve. Among the sales was a black-glazed Greek kalyx krater from the 5th century B.C. that was priced at $200,000. “We have already done better than expected and met some very interesting new people,” he said at the end of the opening weekend.