AMSTERDAM.- A rare condom dating from 1830 is on display at the Rijksmuseum. This almost 200-year-old contraceptive – probably made from a sheep’s appendix – features an erotic etching depicting a nun and three clergymen. Thought to have been a souvenir from a brothel, only two such objects are known to have survived to the present day. It reveals that printing was being used in a wide range of contexts, and provides an insight into sexuality and prostitution in the 19th century.

Aroused

Seated with her legs apart in front of three clergymen, the nun points her finger at one of them. The men, standing, hold their robes up to display their state of sexual arousal. The inscription Voilà mon choix, meaning ‘This is my choice’, makes the print a parody of both celibacy and the Judgement of Paris from Greek mythology.

Underrepresented

Acquiring the condom has enabled us to focus on 19th-century sexuality and prostitution, a subject that is underrepresented in our collection. It embodies both the lighter and darker sides of sexual health, in an era when the quest for sensual pleasure was fraught with fears of unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases – especially syphilis. On view in the Print Room, the condom forms part of a display on 19th-century prostitution and sexuality that also includes several prints, drawings and photographs. The display runs until the end of November at the Rijksmuseum.

Print Room

The Rijksmuseum Print Room bought the condom at auction six months ago, with the support of the F.G. Waller Fonds. The Print Room collection holds some 750,000 prints, drawings and photographs. Alongside works on paper, the collection holds numerous prints on other materials. This is the first example in the Rijksmuseum collection of a print on a condom.