Can anyone tell me anything about this chair?

My mother in law received this chair years ago. It was in pieces but she had it refinished. The wood was originally black. When it was being refinished, she was told the lions on the back were not wood but clay. There is no markings or names on the chair anywhere so we’re at a loss on where or when it was made.

 

Ummm, can you remove all that stuff so we can see the chair?

 

Ya Think ???

 

Circa 1900 with composite decorations. The decorations are not clay but could be gesso or something like Sirocco wood. The refinishing has stripped them of their faux wood finish. They should not contrast with the wood as they do now.

 

Here are 2 more photos. The seat is not original but it was just a small thin square.

 

Thank you

 

Nice quarter sawn oak. Without a label it could have been made virtually anywhere in the country.