Charm of Oriental Ornaments: Turkish Cucumber

"Oriental" or "Turkish cucumber", "buta", "Persian cypress" - all this is not a list of plant names, but the name of one very popular pattern. They are decorated with clothes and shoes, a variety of accessories and dishes, wallpapers, furniture. And if in Russia this drop-shaped ornament is often called a bean or cucumber, the Europeans know it as paisley - "paisley". Why is the pattern "Turkish cucumber" has so many names in different countries, what does it mean and when it appeared in Europe? In this article, we will try to answer all these questions.

Why is it called that?

"Tear of Allah", "Indian" or "Oriental cucumber", "Turkish bean", "Persian cypress" - all these names of oriental ornament are associated with the fact that it resembles a cucumber or a sprouted bean. In those cases when a Turkish cucumber is painted with a petiole-foot in the lower part, it is called a "palm leaf" or "cypress".

In each country this ornament is appropriated with different meanings, so in Iran the image of the eastern cucumber is considered a wish for happiness and prosperity, and in India it symbolizes movement or development.

When and where did it appear?

Discussions on the answer to this question have not abated so far. There are many theories and versions of where the Turkish cucumber was created, and who and who took it from. The problem is that trade has been going on for centuries and there have been diplomatic relations between the countries. Peoples and people traveled, migrated, their cultural traditions, symbols and ideas also wandered and mixed. Let's consider some basic hypotheses of the origin of buta - Indian cucumber.

The most remote from us in terms of time is the version that the well-known Turkish cucumber is an ornament of the ancient Egyptian, and it symbolizes immortality, represented in a symbolic form of a wheat ear.

Two later versions indicate that the buta was born in Persia or India. In both cases, this word has the meaning "fire", only in the Persian case, this pattern, which came from the oldest world religion - Zoroastrianism, - symbolizes eternity and life, and in the Indian interpretation - just a sacred fire.

There is another very beautiful version of the legend of the origin of the bottle. According to her, the figure "Turkish cucumber" appeared because of the defeat in the war of one of the ancient rulers of Persia. Grieved by the military failure, he cut his own wrist and placed his signature on the document of surrender. After this act, the pattern of "buta" of the master of carpet weaving was placed on his products, glorifying the courage of this ruler.

There are other less popular theories, but all of them unequivocally say only one thing: this fine pattern, pleasing us even today, came to Europe from Asia.

How did it come about in Europe?

The Turkish cucumber is an ornament that conquered Britain at the beginning of the 17th century, and in the 18th century European countries and Russia. In England, the buta came with the British, returning from India, which was then a colony. They brought cashmere shawls, which were decorated with a pattern of "Turkish cucumber". A photo of a similar, but modern product with this motive, you can see below. In Europe, the "Turkish bean" pattern became popular at the end of the 18th century thanks to Indian shawls and a Scottish town called Paisley. It was in this town that the first production of fabrics with such ornamentation was established, which existed until the beginning of the 20th century. At this time, the fashion for the fabric with the Paisley pattern is gradually passing.

History of the Eastern cucumber in Russia

Just like in Europe, this pattern came to Russia in the 18th century, when fashion appeared in high fashion for scarves from cashmere. However, this ornament fell in love with everyone, and today most people consider the Turkish cucumber as a Russian pattern. The pattern "settled" on Ivanovo cotton prints and printed fabrics, as well as on Pavlovsky kerchiefs. The pattern can be as clearly delineated (it fills the middle or edges of the scarves or fabrics), and in the form of various plant and flower motifs, arranged in a "cucumber" shape and without a clear contour.

Paisley today

Forgotten in the early twentieth century, in the 1960s the pattern "Turkish cucumber" once again became fashionable and popular. A lot of this contributed to John Lennon, who bought a Paisley decorated design Rolls-Royce, and released the movie "Summer of Love", as well as entered at this time in fashion, men's ties with a "cucumber" pattern.

In the 1970s, the intricate oriental pattern of "buta" attracted the attention of hippies, who appreciated diversity, saturation and the shape of the "drop".

In the 80s, several fashion houses, for example, Missoni, Etro and a number of others, began to actively use the paisley pattern in their haute couture. For Etro, "cucumber" motif became a visiting card and an ornament of all collections: clothes, perfumes, furniture, textiles.
Modern mods are happy to use for the creation of a variety of images things decorated with "cucumber" patterns, which today are painted not only in classical, but also in bright and fashionable colors, such as indigo or fuchsia.