Gonzoadler,
Let me clarify what I said earlier: I am afraid I was not clear enough.
IMHO, the scabbard bears some marks of a Turkish style, and my main point is the upturned elongated ending of it. This is very similar to the stylized “dolphin” that we routinely see on yataghan scabbards. But the silverwork is “Caucasian”, Lak style of embossing. Starting late 19th century, ethnic borders of decoration in that area became blurred and largely uniform: silversmiths became itinerant and started working in almost industrial workshops. This, silverworks from large centers , - Tiflis, Akhaltsikhe, Vladikabkaz etc , became by and large virtually identical. Some went to Turkey and Persia, and some went to Central Asia.
My reference to Meskheti masters did not refer to the style of decorations,.
I was talking only about dating. At the end of 19-beginning of 20 century Caucasian style could have been introduced to Central Asia from any of the above areas. But in 1944 there was a sudden inflow of more than 100,000 Turks from the Samtskhe-Javakheti area who were evicted from their homes and forcibly resettled in Central Asia. Thus, there was a distinct possibility, - almost certainty,- that among them were at least several silversmiths who managed to find jobs there. It did not change the style of their work, but just added another potential time interval to the date of manufacture. No more. That was the reason I mentioned them. Hope I made myself clearer this time around.
Regretfully their material culture was extinguished and I have no idea whether there even are authentic examples of their old works in Georgian museums to find comparisons.
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