=Mandarin.= A term applied to Chinese porcelain decorated with a certain class of figure subjects.
=Mice China= has ornament, in high relief, of the branches, leaves, and fruit of the vine, with squirrels or foxes, so-called mice, also in relief. It is Mandarin eighteenth century as a rule.
=Moulds.= These are used for figures and for the various ornaments which are fixed upon the piece.
=Naga.= This word translated means Dragon, which is dealt with under that name.
=Neck.= In the bottle, flagon, and flask, the neck is of different length and form. The throat may be narrow or wide, inclining inwards or outwards, or even perpendicular.
=Ornaments.= These are very varied. They may be in relief, reticulated, impressed, engraved in the paste; or they may be arabesque, grotesque; or they may be lines in angles, lozenges, zigzags, ribbons, and paintings of every kind.
=Paste.= The body of which porcelain or pottery vessels is made. Hard paste cannot be scratched or filed and resists the action of great heat. Soft paste is easily scratched and is melted by intense heat.
=Pekin Ware= is graviata of the Taou-kwang period. It was never made in Pekin, but the name is still used.
=Petuntze.= Pulverised "china rock" forming a white paste (pe-tun) made into bricks (petuntze). It melts in the heat of a porcelain furnace into a milky glass.
=Pin-points= are tiny holes found on the bottom of early Chinese porcelain.
=Porcelain.= A compound of kaolin and petuntze. The kaolin is not fusible, the petuntze vitrifies and envelopes the kaolin, producing a smooth compact body which is translucent.
=Pottery.= This is formed of a mixture of clays. Ordinary potter's-clay is used for common earthenware, and a _blue clay_, of a greyish colour, is much used in making flint-ware.
=Saucer.= The old Chinese form of the plate is always saucer-shaped. The flattening of the rim produced the dish and plate. Raising the sides gave the bowl, basin, and cup. By adding a handle we have the tea-cup.
=Seggar.= This is the protective vessel or case in which the pieces of porcelain or pottery are burnt in the kiln.
=Slip.= The liquid clay which is applied to the piece, under or over the glaze, either by pouring or painting.