Virgil Bi-Millenary: The Hearth and Pastoral Music

This dark brown semi-postal issue represents a high-value denomination in the 1930 series, bearing a face value of 5 lire paired with a 1.50-lire surcharge for charitable works. Modified for territorial use with a red "SOMALIA" overprint, the design shifts its thematic focus to Virgil's Bucolics (Eclogue VII). The vignette illustrates a rustic interior scene where a young shepherd sits near a roaring stone fireplace playing a traditional pipe (flauta), while his flock rests nearby. The lower tablet bears the text: "Hic focus et taedae pingues, hic plurimus ignis" ("Here is a hearth and rich torches, here is abundance of fire"), projecting an atmosphere of comfort, warmth, and pastoral artistic expression.