A rusty gun which is believed to have been used by legendary artist Vincent Van Gogh to kill himself is to be sold at auction for the first time.
On July 27 1890 the Dutch painter was shot in the stomach in northern France and he died two days later.
It is thought he was shot by himself or by an unknown enemy.
The gun (pictured) that is believed to have prematurely ended the life of legendary artist Vincent Van Gogh is to be sold at auction for the first time
The 7mm Lefaucheux revolver was found 75 years later in a field near the village of Auvers-sur-Oise where the artist was staying- and investigators believe it was the weapon used to shoot him.
Drouot, the Paris auction house, are organising the sale in June and have estimated the rusting weapon's price at between £34,000 and £51,000.
Forensics investigators have proved the gun dates back to the 1890s and have described it as the 'most infamous gun in the history of art' - because Van Gogh was only 37 at the time, and could have carried on painting for years.
The 7mm Lefaucheux revolver was found 75 years later in the same area of French countryside near Paris, leading to investigators concluding it was the Van Gogh weapon. A self potrait of Van Gogh is pictured which was painted in 1889, a year before his death
AuctionArt, which is offering the revolver for sale, has described it as 'the most famous weapon in the history of art.'
In a statement sent to CCN.com, the auction house said: 'Several pieces of evidence show it must be Van Gogh's suicide gun: it was discovered where Van Gogh shot it; its calibre is the same as the bullet retrieved from the artist's body as described by the doctor at the time; scientific studies demonstrate that the gun had stayed in the ground since the 1890s.'
It also explained in the statement that the gun was a 'low power' weapon, possibly explaining why Van Gogh did not die instantly.
The revolver going under the hammer in Paris was part
