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50 Lire
| Issuer | Governo Provisorio di Venezia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1848 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | A vignette at upper left combines a female figure with an angel; the Lion of St. Mark appears at lower left as a symbol of Venetian sovereignty. The denomination numeral occupies the centre, flanked by a serpent vignette at upper right, while allegorical figures and a dry embossed stamp are arranged at lower right. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse carries a blue-tinted printed design that mirrors and bleeds through from the obverse, with an elaborate scrollwork and foliate border framing a large circular guilloche medallion at centre-left. A diagonal ribbon cartouche bears the denomination inscription in letterpress, and a numeral '50' is set within an ornamental vignette at upper right, surrounded by acanthus scrollwork and allegorical figures — the overall impression being that of a lightly printed security backing rather than a fully independent reverse design. |
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| Comments |
The Governo Provisorio di Venezia issued this note during the 1848–49 revolution, when Daniele Manin's republic had broken from Austrian rule and urgently needed a functioning monetary supply. Cut off from the imperial financial system, the provisional government printed its own obligations — backed by nothing more than the promise of an independent Venetian state that would ultimately fall to Austrian siege in August 1849.
The dry stamp was the only security measure available under the circumstances. Crude by any contemporary banking standard, but the government had more pressing problems than counterfeiting.