A 19th-century illustrated condom that is extremely rare is going on public display this week at Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum among Dutch Golden Age masterpieces. This very rare object, dating from around 200 years ago, is the first contraceptive sheath to be included in the museum’s elite art collection.
Made sometime in 1830 from a sheep’s appendix, the condom is thought to have been created from the premises of an elite Parisian brothel. Its surface carries an erotic engraving depicting a partially disrobed nun pointing out the erect penises of three clergymen and bears the inscription “Voila, mon choix” (“There, that’s my choice”).
Joyce Zelen, a Rijksmuseum curator, described the design as referencing the ancient Greek myth of the Judgment of Paris, in which a prince selects the most beautiful goddess from among three. “This implies that the owner of the condom was sophisticated and well-educated,” Zelen said.
Acquired for €1,000 at an auction in Haarlem last November, the condom has become the star of a small exhibition called Safe Sex? The exhibition consists of Dutch and French prints and drawings that deal with themes of sex work and sexual health.
Prior to the development of vulcanised rubber in 1839, condoms were made from materials such as linen, animal membranes, or even turtle shells and provided little protection against sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy. “In the 1830s, condoms were socially taboo and largely sold discreetly at brothels or barber shops,” Zelen wrote. “Others, however, were available from some high-end stores in custom-made form.
The condom is 20 cm in length and, having been inspected under ultraviolet light, seems never to have been used. Zelen also highlighted the amusing vagueness of the nun’s gesture in the etching, which leaves one guessing which of the three men she is indicating — so that any man can identify with the image.
