A rare 19th-century condom, made from a sheep’s appendix and featuring an inciting image, is finally on public view for the first time at Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum. Not being a sculpture or painting like most art, the unusual artefact has attracted as much interest.
Curator Joyce Zelen, responsible for prints at the Dutch museum, told CNN that the condom, measuring less than eight inches, is in ‘mint condition’. She said it has been confirmed by UV testing that it was never even used.
Dating to approximately 1830, the condom is believed to be a luxury souvenir of a bordello. “It makes it more of an object to giggle with your mates than an object in fact,” Zelen described.
The photograph printed on the condom is graphic and satirical. It shows a nun with spread legs, bordered by three clergy members lifting their vestments to show erections, with the French “Voila mon choix” (This is my choice). The graphic depiction is intended as a scathing parody of religious chastity and, in the opinion of Zelen, recalls the Judgment of Paris scene from Greek mythology.
“It has something of a parody of religious celibacy, but the painting is obviously also a jest on the Judgment of Paris [the Prince of Troy], in which he is selecting the most beautiful of the three Greek goddesses presenting themselves before him,” she said to Hyperallergic. “To me, that underscores the intended clientele for such a luxury condom with a print. They were likely an affluent and literate individual.”
The method of printing utilized a copper plate pressed on the flattened gut of a goat or sheep. Though this specific condom was never utilized, others from the same time period utilized similarly using animal membranes were used with poor effectiveness to block pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections like syphilis, which was a prominent issue during that period.
The museum purchased the artifact for 1,000 Netherlands Euros (around Rs. 98,000) at an auction in Haarlem six months back. Zelen remembered the funny quandary about buying the work: “We got to the point where we had to make a decision: ‘Who is going to call our boss to see if we can purchase a condom?’ And yeah, that was me.”
The condom now serves as the centerpiece of the museum’s new exhibition, Safe Sex?, which explores 19th-century themes of prostitution, health, and eroticism. It will be on display in the museum’s Print Room through the end of November.