Lead, 44.40 grams, 33.99 mm dia, approx. 6mm thickness. 1492 to 1503 AD. A lead seal from a document issued by Pope Alexander VI, with the remains of the securing cords still clearly visible. The iconography of papal bullas has not altered since the time of Pope Pasquale II (1099-1118) - one face bears the name of the issuing Pope and the other the opposed profile heads of SS. Peter and Paul with a cruciform emblem between and a form of the identifying abbreviated legend SPESPA (Sanctus Petrus Sanctus Paulus 'Saint Peter, Saint Paul') on the other. The present example shows on the recto the two faces executed in a slightly stylized manner each within a beaded border and with a further beaded border surrounding the whole design. The legend appears to read 'P P' for Petrus Paulus. The legend on the verso reads '+/AL[E]/XAND[ER]/PAPA/VI'. The beaded border is present on less than half the circumference. The bulla is thicker on the top and left (recto) than on the bottom and right, due to poor placement of the blank lead disc within the jaws of the impressing vice. Reference: Pateman, B. Collecting Seals page 134-135. Very fine condition. Provenance: from an old English collection.

Pope Alexander VI is one of the most colourful holders of that office. He was born at Xativa in the state of Valencia in 1431 as Roderic Llançol, and later Roderic de Borja i Borja. The Italian version of his surname - Borgia - is among the most recognizable names in mediaeval European history. Roderic rejected his Catalan surname in favour of his mother's on the accession of his maternal uncle, Alonso de Borja, to the papacy as Calixtus III in 1455. Due to the nepotism of the age, Roderic gained important successive appointments as bishop, cardinal and vice-chancellor of the church. He was elected pope in 1492 amid claims of vote-buying due to the vast wealth of his family. Alexander insituted reforms of the church's governance which made it a more effective organization, while at the same time increasing the splendour of the papal office. However, he fathered four children by his mistress, each of whom was to become an important figure in European affairs. Cesare was made Archbishop of Valencia at the age of seventeen. Giovanni received the dukedom of Gandia, the Borgias' ancestral home in Spain, supplemented with portions of the Kingdom of Naples. The third brother, Goffredo, received lands among the Papal states. His daughter Lucrezia's marriage to Giovanni Sforza, lord of Pesaro, further increased the papal influence. These manoeuvres brought opposition from Ferdinand I, King of Naples, who had previously backed Roderic's rival, Giuliano della Rovere, for the papacy. Alexander aligned himself with the French court and sought Spanish and Portuguese help in return for recognizing those countries' newly acquired territories in the New World. Skilful political alignments and the appointment of twelve new cardinals - partly drawn from his own family - bolstered his position but a threatened French invasion forced him to back down temporarily. The internecine rivalry among his sons led to the death of the eldest, Giovanni, possibly instigated by the second brother, Cesare, who in time became so powerful and ruthless that his father had cause to fear his influence. Opposition to the Borgia family in this time was a very dangerous practice, and the wealth of many rich families was confiscated; their long-term rivals, the Orsini family, suffered greatly. The pope and his powerful son, Cesare, were both taken ill after dining with a nobleman in 1503; Cesare eventually recovered but the aged pope suffered a week-long torment before his agonized death; there was suspicion that he had accidentally ingested some of his favoured method of disposing of opponents - the poison Canarella - or that his son had finally moved against him. Alexander VI's posthumous reputation has suffered an even greater decline as he is widely regarded as the holder of the papal title most responsible for bringing that office into disrepute - but the notorious Borgia name and the ruthlessness and despotism of the age have lent Pope Alexander VI a macabre glamour in the modern world.