| Title | Gavel, Senate |
| Artist/Maker | Unidentified |
| Date | 1954 |
| Medium | Ivory |
| Dimensions | h. 2.63 x d. 1.5; diam. 1.5 in. (h. 6.7; diam. 3.8 cm) |
| Credit Line | U.S. Senate Collection |
| Accession Number | 71.00002.000 |
Used to call the Senate to order, this hour-glass-shaped ivory gavel is a replacement to the original, which shattered during a late-night debate in 1954. Unable to find a substitute through commercial sources, the Senate turned to the Embassy of India. On November 17, 1954, the vice president of India presented this new gavel with the hope that it would inspire senators to debate "with freedom from passion and prejudice."
