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5 Livres
| Issuer | Banque de Syrie et du Liban |
|---|---|
| Year | 1939 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | The note is framed by an intricate arabesque guilloche border in blue and rose tones, with the denomination in large Arabic script at centre and the bank name in Arabic above. Serial numbers appear at all four corners alongside two manuscript signatures, with the word 'لبنان' (Lebanon) printed in red within a cartouche at the right, and a small oval vignette at lower left bearing the Arabic numeral designation. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A panoramic intaglio vignette in blue tones at centre-right renders a Lebanese urban scene with a mosque minaret, domed structures, and rooftops beneath a cloudy sky. An elaborate floral and foliage border frames a large blank cartouche at upper left, surmounted by a lion-mask motif at centre-top. The denomination numeral '5' appears at both lower corners, with the bank title along the upper margin and the value inscription along the lower margin. |
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| Comments |
The Banque de Syrie et du Liban operated under French Mandate authority, and this 1939 issue arrived as that mandate was entering its most politically turbulent phase — war in Europe was imminent, and uncertainty about the future of both Syria and Lebanon was already affecting monetary confidence. The Banque de France handled printing throughout the series, consistent with the broader French policy of keeping colonial and mandate currency production close to metropolitan institutions.
Clément Serveau was a respected commercial and decorative artist whose work appeared across multiple French overseas currency issues of the period. Ernest Deloche engraved the obverse; the reverse went to Marguerite Dreyfus, known professionally as Rita — one of the few women working as a production engraver in French currency printing at the time.