Early Blue and White - Caughley 'Fisherman' Pattern

A rare Caughley item, printed in blue and white with the 'fisherman and cormorant' pattern c1780. It's usually assumed they were used for serving individual portions of asparagus at the dining table, holding a small bunch of asparagus nicely together for ease of handling. Another theory is that they were used as spoon or fork rests to protect the table surface. For more details see Premier Antiques