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.