Pavonine. Coloured like a peacock’s tail.
Pax, Paxboard, Chr. A representation of the Crucifixion upon a piece of wood or metal, with a handle at the back. It was kissed by the priest in the mass at the words “Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum,” and afterwards passed round to be kissed by the congregation. It was also spelt Paxbrede. Also called Osculatorium.
Peach-stone Black, prepared from calcined stones of fruits, is a handsome colour, but has a reddish tinge. Ground with oil and white lead, the colour called old gray is obtained.
Peacock, R. and Chr. In antiquity the peacock was sacred to Juno, and is called Junonia avis. It is represented on Roman imperial coins bearing the empresses up to heaven, as the eagle does the emperors; and hence in Christian archæology is the symbol of the resurrection. (Her., see Fig. [398], In Pride.)
Pea-green. (See Chrysocolla.)
Pean, Her. One of the furs; represented in gold spots on a black ground.
Pean or Pæan. A song or shout of triumph.
Pearl. A secretion of the mollusc; in its normal development a thickening of the shell, which supplies mother-of-pearl; abnormally, forming globules for the purpose of encysting foreign substances intruded within the shell, which are the precious pearls used in jewellery.
Pearl, in Chinese the emblem of talent, is put by the Chinese on porcelains destined for rewards of poets and other laureati in China.
Pebble. A name given by lapidaries to many different stones.