Carved Chinese Stone Seal of a...Beast!

The Chinese beast that shall not be named...

We took a vote in our office as to what the carver had in mind when he (or she) created this wonderful seal and...we're stumped.  Some of us saw a rhinoceros,  some of us saw a bird and we finally called him "beast" and left it at that.

Seals were common throughout Asia as a way to affix your family or company "signature" (also known as a chop) to a document or a piece of art and this one is lovingly carved into the bottom.  2 3/4" tall and 1 3/4" wide, "Beast" sits sturdily on his block of stone - as paperweight or objet d' art - but no one will know his double duty as a usable seal unless they turn him over. 

He's a secret keeper, our Beast.