This pattern, a clear product of the English potter's obsession with copying Chinese blue and white wares, is known by three names--each reflecting a major element of the design. In most common usage is "Fisherman," obviously referring to the tall figure from whose pole dangles the morning catch. The alternate name "Pleasure Boat" refers to the improbable vessel on which our fisherman stands, which seems too small for his support, much less to provide many pleasurable opportunities. Our favorite designation is "Cormorant" honoring the hungry bird who anxiously awaits the moment when he can snatch the tasty fish. Other Chinese elements, including a traditional border, fill out the design--featured here on small shell form dishes of enormous charm.

The differing degrees of flow in the printing of each dish remind us that transfer printing technology was still fairly uncertain even in the late eighteenth century

Geoffrey Godden,Caughley & Worcester Porcelains, 1775-1800 devotes an entire chapter to the "Fisherman" pattern, which includes an illustration of this relish dish (pl.177). As he notes, the popular pattern was produced both by Caughley and Worcester.

Godden details some of the earmarks of Caughley's version, including the taunt line on the distant fisherman's pole, the short fish hanging from the slender fisherman's pole in the foreground and the inner border of inverted fleur de lis (solid on the Caughley versions, cross hatched on the Worcester version).