GOTHIC treasures from Suffolk are on show at the Victoria and Albert Museum.The artefacts feature as part of a major exhibition entitled Gothic: Art for England 1400-1547 – the period from the reign of Henry IV to the reign of Henry VIII.

GOTHIC treasures from Suffolk are on show at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The artefacts feature as part of a major exhibition entitled Gothic: Art for England 1400-1547 – the period from the reign of Henry IV to the reign of Henry VIII.

The exhibition brings to life a historic period which saw war with France, the War of the Roses and the Battle of Agincourt alongside the huge wealth and extensive patronage of monarchs, aristocrats and the church.

This backdrop saw many works of art commissioned, a number of which originate form Suffolk.

Among Suffolk's relics is a brass showing Thomas Pownder and his wife Emme.

Thomas Powdner was a prominent merchant in Ipswich and the brass is thought to have been produced circa 1525.

It has been borrowed for the exhibition from Ipswich Borough Council Museums and Galleries and is from the church of St Mary Quay in Ipswich.

Also on display are fragments of a rood screen dating circa 1463 which has been lent by St Marys Church in Kersey – it shows kings and prophets and was made in Suffolk.

Rare light half armour, has been borrowed from St Mary the Virgin church in Mendlesham.

An example of almain rivet armour, it comes from one of the few surviving armories in England.

Possibly the most gruesome example of gothic art, a cadaver tomb of John Baret, depicts the deceased as an emaciated corpse, a representation of his suffering in Purgatory – its intention was to prompt the viewer into considering his own fate.

The rich clothier died in 1467 but the tomb is thought to have been made in his lifetime and erected in his own chapel.

It was made in Bury St Edmunds and is being lent to the Victoria and Albert by the town's St Marys Church.

The Clare reliquary cross and Hessett burse have both been lent by the British Museum but originate from Suffolk.

The burse, used to hold the corporal in catholic churches, dates form the early 15th century and is the only painted burse in existence.

The exhibition runs until January 18 with tickets priced at £8 for adults, £5 for senior citizens and students, under 18s, disabled people and carers are entitled to free admission.

Tickets can be brought online at www.vam.ac.uk or by phone on 0870 906 3883.