What a lovely carving .....4 foot tall.......fantastic. Love the sword too.
The functional design of the scabbard seems to allow two things......the scabbard mimics the blade almost exactly.....had it been a normal sheath the 'throat' would have to be quite wide, to allow withdrawal.
It also allows a very 'quick draw' with minimal arm movement.
Solarium......solarium...... here in Britain we're lucky if we even see the sun