Dutch museum exhibits Victorian-era condom adorned with erotic art of a naughty nun and clergymen

The Hague, Netherlands – The National Museum of the Netherlands has a new exposed object which merges art with the infamous red district of Amsterdam: a condom of almost 200 years, sporting erotic art.

Rijksmuseum said in a press release that playful prophylactic, which would be made around 1830 from a sheep annex, “illustrates both the playful side and the serious side of sexual health”.

That’s part of an exhibition entitled “Safe Sex?” Sex work in the 19th century opened on Tuesday.

The condom, perhaps a memory of a brothel, is decorated with an erotic image of a nun and three ecclesiastics.

The expression “This is my choice” is written along the sheath in French. According to the museum, this is a reference to the painting of Pierre-Auguste Renoir “The judgment of Paris”, which represents the Prince of Troy Paris judging a beauty competition between three goddesses.

“The acquisition of the condom has allowed us to focus on the sexuality and prostitution of the 19th century, a subject that is underrepresented in our collection. It embodies both the lighter and the darkest aspects of sexual health, at a time when the quest for sensual pleasure was heavy with fears of an unplared pregnancy and a sexually transmitted disease – in particular syphilis” The museum says on its website.

The museum declared that it had acquired the condom during an auction about six months ago with the support of the FG Waller-Fonds, a commemorative fund created in 1938 in memory of one of the benefactors of Rijksmuseum.

The play in art history on the sexually theme was to remain exhibited until the end of November, the museum said.