Te Utrecht ongeldig gemaakte assignat van vijftig sols, serie 891, uitgegeven 23 mei 1793 Possibly 1793 - 1795

This is a French assignat of fifty sols, serie 891, printed on paper in 1793 by Nicolas Marie Gatteaux. Its composition, constrained by typography and the rigid demands of state finance, offers a fascinating interplay of text and image. Notice the bold overprinting of the word 'FAUX' in large capital letters, which immediately commands attention. It destabilizes the note's original function as currency and introduces a sense of distrust and invalidity. The layout of the text is rigidly structured, divided into neat boxes and lines that emphasize its official nature. However, this is contrasted by the delicate, swirling lines of the guilloche patterns bordering the note, and the classical allegorical figures that represent justice and law. The assignat thus becomes a site where the rational order of the state encounters the unstable world of value and public trust. The superimposition of 'FAUX' acts as a signifier of the anxieties surrounding authenticity and authority during the revolutionary period.