File:Medieval papal bull (FindID 231096).jpg

English: Medieval Papal bulla of Clement VI (1342-52) in good general condition, but ripped in half along the central cord-line, leaving the right-hand side of the obverse missing. That part of the obverse inscription remaining reads *CL..../MEI..../*PPV... but the identification of this with Clement VI is perfectly straightforward as the use of the florets before the C and P, and indeed beneath the 'PP' were limited to this Clement alone. Although the surface of the bulla has survived remarkably well, there is some small surface damage resulting in scratches, and there is slight surface corrosion meaning that it is difficult to identify any flaws in the dies used to create this seal. This is a shame as the bulla is otherwise in good condition, and it is important to build up a full picture of the die-flaws on these seals; in time it may be possible to see whether we can identify the use of more than one bulla matrix in use in any given pope's reign. The reverse is more worn with St Peter's head and the standard SPE on the right-hand side now slightly rubbed. The reverse is sealed at 5º in relation to the obverse, and the channel formerly occupied by the ripped out cord is still open, the linear striations perhaps suggesting the cord was of silk rather than hemp thread, suggesting that the document was a 'Letter of Grace', that is a grant or permission for something. Bullae of Clement VI are relatively common, at least within the Diocese of Norwich, this being the 10th example of his to be recorded to date. This is interesting, because bullae generally fell in use through the fourteenth century, but peak again in the pontificates of Clement and his successor, Innocent VI - at exactly the time Black Death was raging in Europe. The explanation is perhaps that more individuals were seeking indulgences or absolution from the Pope at this time of heightened disease.