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Gorgeous Frailero or Monk's Spanish Chair - $250 (SR14 santa fe)
condition:
fair
make / manufacturer:
American Made
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This chair is a classic example of a Spanish Colonial Revival / Mediterranean Revival armchair, sometimes also called a “frailero” or “monk’s chair” style, though this particular piece is more decorative than the strict monastic originals.
Key identifying features:
Heavy, turned spiral (barley-twist) legs and stretchers – very characteristic of Spanish and Portuguese furniture from the 17th–18th centuries, and heavily reproduced in the early 20th century.
Thick, blocky rectangular back and seat frame with simple molded edges.
Padded leather or vinyl upholstery tacked on with large-headed nails (originally leather, but many later ones used vinyl that looked like leather).
Exaggerated, almost architectural turnings on the front legs, arms, and back posts.
Age: This specific chair is almost certainly a 20th-century reproduction, most likely made between the 1920s and 1960s (peak periods for Spanish/Mediterranean Revival furniture in the United States, Mexico, and parts of South America).
Here’s why: The vinyl upholstery (heavily cracked and peeling in the typical 1960s–80s way) is not original to true antique pieces from the 17th–19th centuries, which would have leather or fabric.
The finish on the wood is fairly light and even, and the turnings, while well done, have the slightly softer, more uniform look of machine-assisted work rather than fully hand-turned 300–400-year-old pieces.
The overall proportions and the way the arms are attached are very common in American and Mexican factory-made Spanish Revival furniture from the 1930s–1950s.
True 17th- or 18th-century Spanish Colonial originals (especially from Mexico, Peru, or the Philippines) are extremely rare, usually much darker with centuries of patina, and command four- or five-figure prices. This one was part of the huge wave of stylish, affordable Spanish/Mediterranean Revival furniture that flooded the market in the early-to-mid 20th century.
Summary Style: Spanish Colonial Revival / Mediterranean Revival armchair (barley-twist or “frailero” type)
Approximate age: 1930–1965 (most likely 1940s–1950s)
Original use: Dining armchair or occasional chair in a Spanish-style interior It’s a solid, attractive piece in the popular “Old California” or “Hacienda” look—very common in the southwestern U.S., Florida, and parts of Latin America during that era. With re-upholstery (ideally in leather or a heavy fabric) and a light refinish if desired, it can look great again.
price is firm.
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