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I can’t seem to find who the author of this pattern is (though I do find a lot of people selling it on stock sites). I have a friend who always refers to it as an M. C. Escher pattern, but I’m almost certain that although I also thought at first it was his, I eventually found out Koloman Moser was the one who authored it. I don’t remember where I got that information, though (or if it was trustworthy or even if I’m recalling it correctly).
Does anyone have a source for it?
My comment piqued my interest so here’s a bit of research.
One term for this type of pattern is “diaper pattern”:
In masonry, diaper usually refers to a brick pattern of repeating diamonds.
This example being but one particular diaper pattern.
If you google “diaper tile pattern” you’ll find all sorts of information. I haven’t been able to find any reliable citable sources as to how far back in time it goes, but I’m finding mentions of Rome and Pompeii as well as China. Given the fact that it’s a relatively simple pattern, I’d say it’s quite safe to say it’s at least many thousands of years old. (Part of the challenge of googling this is a combination of a) baby diapers and b) The fact that the term ‘roman’ is used extensively in modern marketing of tile products).
