Paisley (design)
Paisley is a droplet-shaped vegetal motif, similar to half of the
yin and yang symbol or the
Indian bodhi tree leaf. The design originated in India and spread to
Scotland when British soldiers brought home cashmere shawls. From roughly
1800 to
1850, using Jacquard looms, the women of the town of
Paisley, Scotland adapted the design and wove woolen shawls, hence the design is popularly known as the
Paisley Pattern. Changes in fashion led to the demise of the shawl bringing hardship to the weavers in Scotland and the originators in
Kashmir.
The shape has been widely adopted since then. Although the influence is not clear, the Turkish tughra calligraphic seal strongly resembles the paisley shape. Some design scholars call the distinct shape boteh and believe it is the convergence of a stylized floral spray and a cypress tree--a Zoroastrian symbol of death and eternity.