Unusual Shashka

[JT88]

Originally Posted by Oliver Pinchot

The grip material may be ivory or it may be bone. The issue isn't about materials; the maker used whatever he had access to and then aged it, more or less cleverly creating something of a patina. The metal may be silver, German silver or even white brass.

Any of the forum members who are knowledgeable about Caucasian arms (notably Ariel, among others) will note that only the general form of the sword is Caucasian. The embellishment is vaguely Georgian, with its panels of filigree. The sections of carved ivory, or whatever it is, are decidedly modern-- they have no precise analog in the historical period of production. And as I noted above, the wolf, poor thing, is recent and poorly aged to look antique. the 84 mark is made with a recent stamp, slight differences are identifiable by comparison with period silver stamps.

Well, I very much appreciate the expertise, I know nothing about Caucasian weapons I am quite out of my element here. They do seem to be extraordinarily complicated compared to what I generally deal with: Napoleonic weapons. I would like to still own a kinjal and perhaps another shashka someday as they are aesthetically pleasing and have an interesting history. Next time I'll consult someone with more knowledge!

Thanks again for the detailed response! /thread