Spanish Colonial Armchair?

Hello all, I have recently been sucked into a wormhole of antique information while trying to identify this old armchair I recently got from my dad. He bought it at an antique market in Houston in the early 80s.
In my research, I have followed the general direction that it could be Spanish colonial, possibly from Peru.
It seems incredibly old to me, based on a number of things I can get into later. But, I'd like to just post the first picture of the chair in general for first impressions. I've contacted multiple experts, but haven't gotten any concrete satisfactory answers. I'm hoping someone knowledgeable on here will be willing to get into a discussion about it.
Two things to note: first, the chair has obviously been broken, and it has obviously been repaired multiple times at different periods in history. Second, there is a prominently carved "P" on the headboard.
I look forward to any help I can get.

 

I think you are on the right track. Whether a period example or Victorian revival piece, impossible to tell from the one pic. I am kind of leaning towards the latter due to it being so over the top and inclusion of native motifs. Not sure what points to Peru as opposed to, say, Mexico. Maybe you can fill us in on your research and provide some additional pictures.

 

Isn't that interesting? Never quite seen anything like it in México so would think further south. (Of course, I could be wrong.) I'd think the horseshoe arch on back, with its association with Islam, is quite unusual. The animal at the end of arms appears to be a jaguar which wouldn't surprise. The red velvet certainly looks like a replacement, either of something similar or tooled leather. Would/could you post a photograph of the back?

https://mediakron.bc.edu/fashiondecor/islamic-arch

Debora

 

Carved stone Incan face.

 

Thank you for the replies!
I was led to Peru because I believe the arms are puma heads, the warriors looked more incan than aztec or mayan, and I believe the birds represent condors. The crest on top of the head looks more like other incan carvings of condors to me.
The back of the chair was badly broken and repaired, I believe with hand made screws. Note the irregularity of slots on the heads. I'm attaching pictures of this.
The whole chair uses mortise and tenon joinery with crude wooden pegs hammered in. One of the pegs is attached. The sides and top were originally glued on, it looks like.
I think it was definitely reupholstered, but I'm not positive. I do know it is stuffed with animal hair in the seat, back and arms.
Also attached is a picture of a square nail (no head) that was loose and I pulled from under the chair.
The "p" in the top really intrigues me, and I wonder if it stands for a Spanish viceroy in old Peru?
Thanks for your help, and I look forward to continuing the investigation!

 

I find the "foliate head" on the front rail odd. I associate that motif more with medieval England and northern Europe than anything from colonial Spanish areas. (If you google "foliate head motif in English art" many examples come up, but virtually none if you substitute "Spanish art".)

That part of the chair also looks lighter in color, like it might be a different kind of wood - but that may just be the lighting.

Looking at the back, I wonder if the chair is some type of pastiche, with the side wings and crown (the parts with the South American-seeming motifs) having been added after the original construction.

 

Perhaps the P just stands for Pizarro.

Debora

 

Agree re foliate head. I don't associate it with Spain, even Celtic Spain. Interestingly, I am seeing examples of Colonial chairs with added crowns. In this instance, they appear to have been executed by a different hand.

Debora

 

Have you contacted the Hispanic Society Museum in New York? The curator of decorative arts might be interested in seeing your chair.

https://hispanicsociety.org/about-us/staf/

Debora

 

Thanks all,
The foliated head had me stumped too...
If it may be an indicator of age, another detail is that some of the stuff on the back panel is carved separately and glued on... photo attached of one that fell off...
P.s.- I really hope the p stands for pizarro!

 

Here's an example of a Colonial Spanish chair from Peru with added crown.

https://www.santafeartauction.com/a...nial-upper-peru-sillon-de-frailero_88D40E08EC

Debora

 

It's the mihrab I find so puzzling.

Debora

 

I’m not an expert on Central and South American furniture by any means. However I see motifs that may also be found in Victorian furniture ca. 1870-1900 in North America and Europe, adapted to a Latin American locale.
The horseshoe arch highlighted by Debora above can be found in architect-designed houses a mere one mile away from me where I sit here in the US Midwest, dated 1899. The animal heads at the end of the arms-whether pumas, jaguars, or anything else-are the type of figures that can be found in many variations from the 1870s to 1900 in many locations across several hemispheres, used in architecture and furniture. The “throne” chair is commonly found in this time period, and the hardware and joinery details listed above are perfectly consistent with the late Victorian decades. As far as the “P” goes, it probably is the first initial of the last name of the client for whom the chair was made. Pizarro? Unlikely. Perez? Maybe; it appears that nobody really knows right now.

I think @verybrad was on to something when he mentioned the possibility that this piece could be Victorian. Of course it would be great if the chair was several centuries older, but there is certainly nothing wrong with it being 130 years or so old. In any case, chairs tend to be worth less than their owners suppose. You have a unique chair with plenty to be proud of!!

 

Grouper,
I can fully appreciate that the chair could just be an odd chair, and would be totally happy with it being over 100 years old. At this point, I'm not even looking for value- just interested in learning what I can about its history. My dad is even more interested in what I can find... obviously, I'd like to add as much age to it as possible.
One hang- up I have though, is that if it is from the late 1800s, why would someone go to great lengths to make big repairs to it after it has been substantially broken? Namely, the repair to the big crack on the back with seemingly hand-made screws?
I am thoroughly enjoying the discourse about the chair, and look forward to continuing tomorrow. Happy 4th, everyone!

 

I found its sister chair with a different top on a Pinterest dead end ...

Also a similar type ...
https://www.peterfrancis.co.uk/cata...dd2f30db1954ea530/christmas-fine-sale-lot-41/

 

It looks 19th century Revival to me. Could be from northwestern Europe.

It is unlike anything I have seen of Peruvian colonial style furniture, although I have seen Peruvian chairs with elaborate crowns added to an otherwise undecorated back.
Edit: I see Debora posted a Peruvian crown on an otherwise not very elaborate chair.

The arch could be related to European furniture as well, like the arches on this typical 17th century 'Amelander kast' from one of the northern Dutch islands:


https://www.limburgantiquairs.com/Furniture/Amelander-kast2

I am pretty sure that is a Maya stone 'hacha', so not Peruvian. It looks different from the figures on the chair to me.

I don't think they are meant to represent pumas, more likely mythical beasts. Besides, Peruvian colonial furniture occasionally features European style lion heads, rather than pumas.

Ditto.

Because they loved it. Maybe for sentimental reasons. Happens all the time.

 

With everyone chiming in I think it’s safe to say that this is a late 19th Century revival piece. As stated above, a previous owner went to the trouble of repairing it because they cared about it.

 

Wow, that is amazing! Everything is the same except for the top, and looks like that one may have leather upholstery, but not sure.