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1 Gulden 1858, Austria-Hungary

in Krause book Number: A84
Years of issue: 27.12.1858 - 31.12.1866
Edition:
Signatures: Cassen Director: Adolf Schindler
Serie: Privilegirte Oesterreichische National-Bank
Specimen of: 01.01.1858
Material: Cotton fiber
Size (mm): 127 х 73
Printer: Unknown printer

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1 Gulden 1858

Description

Watermark:

watermark

Denomination "1" and word "GULDEN".

Avers:

1 Gulden 1858

Banknote designer: Peter Johann Nepomuk Geiger, a graduate of the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, an artist close to the imperial court.

For the 1858 1 guilder note, he used the image of the 1848 banknote. At the 1858 issue, for the first time, the red seal in the form of a shield made of curved guilloches was used.

The image on the banknote, above, represents an allegory of Austria and is most likely copied from a sculpture. However, with which one, I have not yet found.

Austriabrunnen

I want to express my opinion. It seems to me that when creating the image of Austria on the banknote, the designer took as a basis the sculpture of Austria from the Austria fountain.

Fountain "Austria" (German: Austriabrunnen) is located in the historic center of Vienna on Freyung Square.

The allegorical figure of Austria rises above the fountain, represented as a young girl dressed in a royal robe. Her hair is tied back and a city wall crown flaunts on her head. Austria holds a spear in her right hand, and a shield with an imperial double-headed eagle in her left. The column on which Austria stands is decorated with stylized oak branches.

In 1835, Emperor Ferdinand I ascended the throne, allocating money for the construction of a new water pipeline in Vienna, which was primarily supposed to provide the suburbs of Vienna with access to clean water. On the other hand, the new water supply was supposed to glorify the emperor who ascended the throne. The burgomaster Ignaz Czapka approached the architect Paul Sprenger, but he was busy with other projects and recommended Eduard van der Nyll, whose project the burgomaster did not like.

Chapka had to turn to the Munich architect Ludwig Schwanthaler. At that time, a non-Austrian architect Pompeo Marchesi was already working in Vienna, erecting a monument to Emperor Franz I, and the burgomaster did not want to give another project to a foreigner. The Munich-based Schwanthaler asked for a low payment of 3750 guilders, which also angered Austrian architects. In order to avoid scandal, it was necessary to constantly remind that the Schwanthaler family came from Ried im Innkrais, and thus Ludwig Schwanthaler is Austrian.

In 1844, Ludwig Schwanthaler provided a plan for a new fountain, and by 1846 bronze statues were made by the Munich master Ferdinand von Miller. Of all the details of the fountain, only the Mauthausen granite bowl was produced in Austria, the sandstone column and bronze sculptures were made in Munich. The fountain was completed in 1848.

It is believed that Schwanthaler, before sending the statue of Austria to Vienna, hid cigars in her hand and thus smuggled them into Vienna. It is believed that illness prevented Schwanthaler from removing the cigars from the statues prior to installation, and the workers unknowingly immured the contraband inside the fountain. During the last restoration, this legend was refuted.

At the bottom is the lesser coat of the Austrian Empire.

coat

On the small Austrian imperial coat of arms depicts a black-crowned double-headed eagle with raised wings on the right paw holding a sword and scepter, and the left - power. On the eagle's breast shield, in the first part of which is shown crowned blue crown red lion rampant in gold field (the emblem of the Habsburgs), the second part - silver belt in a red field, in the third part - right red sash in a gold field, and in a sling three silver eagle without beaks and claws (alerion) - Lorraine coat of arms. On the neck of an eagle on a gold chain hanging sign of the Order of the Golden Fleece. The coat of arms is crowned by a crown. Black Eagle first appeared in print Henry II - the first Austrian Duke of Babenberg dynasty, that ruled until 1246 Shield with red, white and red stripes is depicted on the seals of the last representatives of the dynasty Leopold VI and Frederick II in the 20-30s of the XIII century.

Revers:

1 Gulden 1858

White background.

Comments:

The banknote is included in the section "Austria-Hungary", as it is more suitable for the subject here. However, it was released even before the rise of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1867).