Catalog
1 Livres SYRIE 1939
| Issuer | Banque de Syrie et du Grand-Liban |
|---|---|
| Year | 1939 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is executed in warm ochre, blue, and grey tones within a richly ornamented arabesque and geometric frame. Two intaglio-engraved vignettes occupy the central panels: the left presents a coastal harbor scene with sailing vessels and a mountain backdrop, while the center offers a panoramic view of buildings along a shoreline with a mountain range behind. The issuer's name appears in an arched cartouche at upper left, 'UNE LIVRE' in large letters at center top, and a geometric star medallion bearing the numeral '1' is placed at lower right. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Blank watermark area visible as a white cartouche on the left side of the obverse |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
The Banque de Syrie et du Grand-Liban was a French concessionary institution — its notes were effectively instruments of the franc zone rather than expressions of local monetary authority. This 1 Livre issue came at a precarious moment: France's grip on its Levantine mandates was already under pressure, and within two years of this note's printing the fall of France and the Vichy interlude would throw the entire currency apparatus into uncertainty.
Marguerite Dreyfus, who signed her work as "Rita," was among the more accomplished engravers working at the Banque de France atelier in this period. Clément Serveau's involvement ties this note to a broader body of French colonial graphic work he produced through the 1930s.