A friend of mine is a collector of Chinese antiques. She has a couple of pieces (the closest western equivalent term would be linen press) that have doors and side panels that follow your general layout of panels and ventilating latticework.
My guess, then, is that it's a fragment of an asian piece. Once the lacquer begins to go, it will flake off in sheets necessitating the complete removal, and the substrate wood isn't always good looking or even the same species, because it was never intended to be seen.
The design and craftsmanship are very nice.
Casey

It's a Chinese door panel, partition panel, or perhaps from one of their large beds or cabinets. It would have had some sort of cloth or paper to block the view through it.

The piece was meant to be painted or laquered, and the carvings appear to be original.

As an interesting piece of wall art, I really like it!

http://www.chinese-antiquefurniture.co.uk/furniture-details.php?id=307

Ahh-- so something like this perhaps, but far less valuable :-P... If it were in better shape I'd be hesitant to alter it.

However, I'm thinking of turning it into a door for a small pine wood stand alone shelved cabinet... Thoughts? It could make a really neat door for a liquor cabinet or for some other objects that warrant partial display, being able to see through the latticework and all.

Im debating on whether or not I should take the time to do dovetails or just simple rabbit joints.

I'm not sure it's less valuable, although it's less fancy. The interlocking hexagon pattern of the screen is not easy to do.

If you could build the display cabinet around its size, that would be really cool.