Catalog
25 Livres
| Issuer | Banque de Syrie et du Grand-Liban |
|---|---|
| Year | 1935 |
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| Size | 175 x 110 mm |
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| Reverse description | The reverse is engraved in shades of olive-green and buff, centered on a vignette of a massive medieval citadel — the Krak des Chevaliers or a similar Levantine fortress — framed by a sweeping stone aqueduct at its base. Flanking the central castle vignette are two large symmetrical arabesque panels filled with stylized floral and botanical motifs in intaglio, creating an ornate Art Deco-Oriental composition. The bank title 'BANQUE DE SYRIE ET DU GRAND-LIBAN' runs across the top cartouche alongside 'GRAND LIBAN', with the denomination 'Vingt Cinq Livres' and the redemption clause 'Remboursable au Porteur en chaque tour Paris ou Marseille à raison de Vingt Francs par Livre' inscribed in the upper center field; the engravers' credits 'CL. SERVEAU FEC.' and 'R. DELOIGNE SC.' appear at lower left and right respectively. |
| Reverse lettering | BANQUE DE SYRIE ET DU GRAND-LIBAN GRAND LIBAN Vingt Cinq Livres Remboursable au Porteur en chaque tour Paris ou Marseille à raison de Vingt Francs par Livre 25 CL. SERVEAU FEC. R. DELOIGNE SC. |
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| Comments |
The Banque de Syrie et du Grand-Liban was a French concessionary institution — its note-issuing authority derived from a 1919 convention with the French government, not from any Syrian or Lebanese legislature. By 1935 the Mandate administration was under mounting pressure from nationalist movements in both territories, and the franc-linked currency system this bank enforced was a frequent grievance. Printing by the Imprimerie de la Banque de France gave the series a technical quality well above most colonial issues of the period.
Cl. Serveau was a prolific designer for French overseas issues; R. Deloigne's engraving work on this series is particularly fine in the intaglio passages.