This ‘suicide gun’ worth $180,000 !!

The gun that is believed to be Vincent van Gogh used to kill himself has been sold in auction for €162,500 (£144,000; $182,000). This is about three times more than the expected amount.

The rusty revolver is supposed to be used by Van Gogh to kill himself in 1890. A private collector had purchased this gun via telephone call.

The gun was found by a farmer from the French village of Auvers-sur-Oise, where the artist spent his final days. The gun was believed to be used by Van Gogh for his suicide, since it was approximately the right age, and used the same calibre of bullet he shot himself with.

In a statement prior to the auction sale, it was said that, “It was discovered where Van Gogh shot it; its caliber is the same as the bullet retrieved from the artist’s body as described by the doctor at the time; (and) scientific studies demonstrate that the gun had stayed in the ground since the 1890s”.

This was a The 7mm Lefaucheux revolver, and was sold at the auction in Paris on Tuesday. The gun was described as “the most famous weapon in the history of art”.

Auctioneer Gregoire Veyres said, “It is a very emblematic piece”.

“The fact that it’s a gun, it’s an object of death. And if Van Gogh is Van Gogh, it’s because of his suicide and this gun is part of it”, he added.

Image courtesy: abc .net .au / images are subject to copyright