| Obverse description |
Central vignette presents an intaglio portrait of Queen Maria Karađorđević — born Princess Maria of Romania, second daughter of King Ferdinand I — wearing a royal diadem, a purple dress with a red ribbon across her right shoulder, and a pearl necklace; a watermark zone with a crown above occupies the center field, flanked on the right by a vignette of an eagle in flight against a pale underprint of a coniferous forest. Allegorical border elements include ears of wheat, corn, grapevine, and other fruits symbolizing abundance, with the imperial eagle motif conveying supreme authority. Lettering in Cyrillic appears above and below the central design, with the printed signatures of the designer and engraver at lower right. |
| Reverse description |
Two allegorical female figures in white dresses and white veils flank the central field: the left figure holds a sheaf of wheat and a sickle with an olive twig in her other hand, symbolizing agriculture and peace, while the right figure bears a sword and a shield charged with the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and holds a laurel twig, symbolizing defense and justice. A double-headed white eagle with spread wings, bearing the Yugoslav royal coat of arms on its chest, occupies the lower center beneath the watermark zone. Decorative border elements of grapevine, apples, and flowers complete the composition, with the title inscription in Latin script appearing in the upper register and the anti-counterfeiting legend below. |
Paja Jovanović, the dominant Serbian academic painter of his generation, provided the original artwork — an unusual arrangement that gave this high-denomination note a more painterly quality than most interwar Yugoslav issues. Ernest Deloche handled the engraving, a French craftsman whose name appears on several ZIN-produced notes from this period, reflecting the ongoing dependence on imported engraving expertise even as the Belgrade facility asserted domestic production.
The 1931 date places this squarely in the early years of King Alexander's royal dictatorship, proclaimed in January 1929. A print run just over twelve million was substantial for a 1000-dinar note — the highest face value in regular circulation at the time.