The Met Store Scarves & Wraps*Four Seasons Paisley Square Wool Scarf

An art scarf inspired by The Met collection.

In the early 19th century, luxurious shawls from Kashmir became indispensable fashion accessories for the stylish European woman. The patterns on these costly, hand-woven shawls generally incorporated the boteh form, an ancient Persian motif based on the tree of life. By the midcentury, machine-made reproductions were being produced with popularity in Europe. Paisley, which is derived from the boteh design, gets its name from the Scottish town that produced many of these shawls until they fell out of favor in the 1870s. A mid-19th-century French or Scottish example in The Met collection, presenting a “four seasons” layout swirling around a central point, informs our stylish wool interpretation with self-fringe edges.

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