Rare antique old hand carved wood panel Gothic cat or gargoyle face

Description

Rare antique old hand carved wood panel Gothic cat or gargoyle face in very good condition, very sturdy and not falling apart. I have no idea but this looks like something from the 1800's. Beautiful old paint patina. If you look at the exposed wood on the back with rusty screw and wire hanger and layers of old paint you can tell it is very old, I've seen faux finishes and lots of real antiques before and it is hard if not impossible to fake old paint like this. There are a few tiny chips of paint off around the face where you can see the same old dark wood that is visible on the back so seems to be carved from one solid piece of wood. Maybe came from some torn down mansion, who knows. I got it about 30 years ago from an architectural salvage/antique shop in Dallas and don't recall them knowing where it originally came from back then. I did recently take it by my local antique store and they agreed that it looks to be authentically old and had never seen a wood panel like it, they also thought it likely came from an old estate. Very organic look to it and would fit in with any Gothic, Art Nouveau, Arts'N'Crafts or Mission styles. 11.5"t x 17.5"w x 3"d. I've seen a lot of antiques and have never seen anything quite like it but if anyone has please let me know. I would love to keep it but am raising funds with my siblings for my mom who is in a nursing home. Thanks for looking and happy bidding.