The revolver that ended Vincent van Gogh’s life has sold for triple the original estimate.

Billed as the ‘most famous weapon in the history of art’ the rusty 7 mm gun was bought by a private collector with a phone bid for $182,000. The troubled Dutch painter died in July 1890 and experts believe he shot himself in a village north of Paris where he spent the last few months of his life. The gun was found by a farmer in 1965 in the same field. But there are skeptics who say nothing suggests the gun is linked to the Dutch master and that this sale is glorifying a tragic event that deserves more respect.