Catalog
1000 Lei
| Issuer | Banca Națională a României |
|---|---|
| Year | 1938-1940 |
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| Value | 1000 Lei |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in brown intaglio after paintings by Nicolae Grigorescu. At left, two Romanian peasant women in traditional attire carry farming implements over their shoulders; at right, a male figure in white linen clothes leans against a ladder propped against a fruit-laden tree. Both scenes are set within a landscape vignette enclosed by a large circular guilloche border, with an ornate scrollwork frame running the full perimeter of the note. |
| Reverse lettering | 1000 1000 1000 1000 N. GRIGORESCU E. GASPÉ SC. |
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| Comments |
Nicolae Grigorescu was Romania's most celebrated 19th-century painter, known primarily for his Barbizon-influenced landscapes and scenes of rural life — not banknote design. His imagery was adapted posthumously for this series, a deliberate cultural choice by the BNR during a period when the royal dictatorship of Carol II was aggressively promoting Romanian national identity through state iconography.
Gaspérini's engraving for the Banque de France presses was exceptional work. The intaglio quality on surviving examples is sharp enough to date the note's usage history with some confidence — heavy circulation quickly wore the finer lines.