Paisley (design)

thumb|Shawl made in [[Paisley, Renfrewshire|Paisley, Scotland, in imitation of Kashmir shawls, ]]

Paisley or paisley pattern is an ornamental textile design using the boteh () or buta, a teardrop-shaped motif with a curved upper end. Of Iranian/Persian origin, paisley designs became popular in the West in the 18th and 19th centuries, following imports of post-Mughal Empire versions of the design from India, especially in the form of Kashmir shawls, and were then replicated locally.

The English name for the patterns comes from the town of Paisley, in the west of Scotland, a centre for textiles where paisley designs were reproduced using jacquard looms.

thumb|Persian silk brocade with gold and silver thread (golabetoon), woven in 1963.

The pattern is still commonly seen in Britain, the United States, and other English-speaking countries on neckties, waistcoats, skirts, blouses and scarves, and remains popular in other items of clothing and textiles in Iran and South and Central Asian countries.

Origins

thumb|Shawl fragment, India, 19th century

Ancient Indo-Iranian origins

There is significant speculation as to the origins and symbolism of boteh jegheh, or "ancient motif", known in English as paisley. With experts contesting different time periods for its emergence, to understand the proliferation in the popularity of boteh jegheh design and eventually Paisley, it is important to understand South Asian history. The early Indo-Iranian people flourished in South Asia, where they eventually exchanged linguistic, cultural, and even religious similarities. Some will argue that boteh jegheh's origins stem from old religious beliefs and its meaning could symbolise the sun, a phoenix, or even an ancient Iranian religious sign for an eagle. The pattern was traditionally woven onto silk clothing using silver and gold material. The first place in the Western world to imitate the design was the town of Paisley in Scotland, Europe's top producer of textiles at this time. Before being produced in Paisley, thus gaining its name in English-speaking culture, the paisley motif was originally referred to by Westerners simply as "pine and cone." European technological innovation in textile manufacturing made Western imitations of Kashmir shawls competitive with shawls from Kashmir.

The shawls from India could be quite expensive at the time, but, with the industrial revolution taking place in Europe, paisley shawls were manufactured on a large scale, so lowering their price that they became commonplace among the middle class and boosting the design's popularity even more. The earliest paisley shawls made in the United Kingdom, in Paisley, Scotland, were of fleece, a material with a soft, fluffy texture on one side.

In Asia, the paisley shawls were primarily worn by males, often in formal or ceremonial contexts, but in Europe they were primarily worn instead by women. While still closely resembling its original form, the paisley design would change once it began to be produced in Western culture, with different towns in the United Kingdom applying their own spin to the design.

In the 1800s, European production of paisley increased, particularly in the Scottish town from which the pattern takes its modern name. Soldiers returning from the colonies brought home cashmere wool shawls from India, and the East India Company imported more. The design was copied from the costly silk and wool Kashmir shawls and adapted first for use on handlooms, and, after 1820, on Jacquard looms. The paisley pattern also appeared on European-made bandanas from the early 1800s, the patterns imitating Kashmir shawls.

From roughly 1800 to 1850, the weavers of the town of Paisley in Renfrewshire, Scotland, became the foremost producers of Paisley shawls. Unique additions to their hand-looms and Jacquard looms allowed them to work in five colours when most weavers were producing paisley using only two. In this process, the paisley pattern was printed, rather than woven, onto other textiles, including cotton squares which were the precursors of the modern bandanna. Printed paisley was cheaper than the costly woven paisley, and this added to its popularity. The key places of printing paisley were Scotland and the Alsace region of France. The peak period of paisley as a fashionable design ended in the 1870s, perhaps as so many cheap printed versions were on the market.

Modern use

thumb|A paisley-shaped Indian kohl container (1960s)

thumb|328x328px|Paisley patterned clothing set

The 1960s proved to be a time of great revival for the paisley design in Western culture. Popular culture in the United States developed a strong interest in eastern cultures, including many traditionally Indian styles. Paisley was one of them, being worn by recording artists such as The Beatles, Queen, and David Bowie.

Today, the design remains common, appearing on jewellery, suit ties, pocket books, cake decorations, tattoos, mouse pads for computers, scarves, and dresses. Paisley bandanas, long used by cowboys, came in the latter twentieth century to be worn by many blue-collar laborers as protection from dust, and were sported by entertainers popular with such workers, such as the country musician Willie Nelson.

The motif also influences furniture design internationally, with many countries applying paisley decoration to wallpaper, pillows, curtains, bed spreads, and like furnishings. The style was particularly popular during the Summer of Love in 1967.

The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation made a pink paisley version of their Telecaster guitar by putting paisley wallpaper onto the guitar bodies.

Prince paid tribute to the rock and roll history of paisley when he created the Paisley Park Records recording label and established Paisley Park Studios, both named after his 1985 song "Paisley Park". The Paisley Underground was a music scene active around the same time.

Architecture

Paisley was a favorite design element of British-Indian architect Laurie Baker. He has made numerous drawings and collages of what he called "mango designs". He used to include the shape in the buildings he designed also.

Sports

It was part of the emblem for the 2020 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, held in India. The motif was chosen due to its common use in Kasmiri Pashmina carpets.

Other languages

In Persian, Boteh can be translated to shrub or bush, while in Kashmir it carried the same meaning but was referred to as Buta, or Bu. in Persian as well as ' () and ' ("palm", which – along with the pine and the cypress – is one of the traditional botanical motifs thought to have influenced the shape of the paisley element as it is now known).

In various languages of Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, the design's name is related to the word for mango:

In Bengali: kalka
In Kannada: Maavinakai, unripe mango
In Telugu: mamidi pinde, young mango pattern
In Tamil: mankolam, mango pattern
In Marathi: koyari, mango seed
In Sindhi: aami or ambri, small mango.
In Hindi/Urdu: kairi, means unripe mango
In Punjabi: ambi, from amb, mango.

In Chinese, paisley is known as the "ham hock pattern" () in mainland China, or "amoeba pattern" in Taiwan (). In Russia, this ornament is known as "cucumbers" ().

References

Notes

Bibliography

Dusenbury, Mary M.; Bier, Carol, Flowers, Dragons & Pine Trees: Asian Textiles in the Spencer Museum of Art, 2004, Hudson Hills, , p. 48