Fishing rod belonging to J.M.W. Turner RA

As well as boasting masterpieces from throughout art history, the RA’s Collection also contains some miscellaneous items used, treasured, and often donated by artists – including this fishing rod that belonged to the landscape painter J.M.W. Turner.

The Royal Academy’s collection has been largely assembled by artists, rather than curators or collectors. When the institution was established, its artist-members set about collecting casts of exemplar works of art from ancient Greece and Rome, as well as some paintings from the well-regarded Renaissance period. It was also decreed that each artist should donate a work of art when they were accepted to the RA’s ranks – these were known as diploma works.