The rusty 7mm Lefaucheux revolver with which Vincent van Gogh is believed to have shot himself was sold for $182,000 at a Paris auction.

The revolver, considered to be "the most famous weapon in the history of art", was bought by a private collector via a telephone bid.

The revolver was found by a farmer in 1965 in a field near Auvers-sur-Oise, where Van Gogh is believed to have shot himself.

Although it is still uncertain if the artist had died in an accident or a suicide, it is confirmed that the bullet extracted from Van Gogh's chest matched with the revolver.

"Nothing suggests that the remains (of the gun) are formally linked with the death of Van Gogh, it deplores the commercialisation of a tragedy which deserves more respect,” the Van Gogh Institute said in a statement, condemning the sale.

"Technical tests on the weapon have shown the weapon was used and indicate that it stayed in the ground for a period that would coincide with 1890. All these clues give credence to the theory that this is the weapon used in the suicide," Auction Art said.