Two Shapes, Three Forms, Opposing End Grains, More Sculpture than Puzzle antique animal prints With some old paper adhered

With some old paper adhered to the underside that I didn't try to remove but looks like it could be soaked off

Rank badges (also called rank insignia or Mandarin squares) were used in China during the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) dynasties to demonstrate the wearer's rank

The drawing itself is taped to the mat

14 1/2" l x 7 1/4" w

I found this antique  lovely in Lancaster County

Two Shapes, Three Forms, Opposing End Grains, More Sculpture than Puzzle antique animal prints With some old paper adheredA beautiful and also somewhat mysterious feeling thing, or group of things, which I just needed to bring home and be around for a bit. The wood is here is a hard wood, with a very smooth surface (if I were better at identifying woods I would!) Feels much more like a modernist sculpture than something made for a child, and with a tension about how the two positive forms relate to the cutouts in the rectangular block the end grain patterns tell us they