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The Rijksmuseum has acquired a rare condom dating to around 1830 that features an erotic etching on the long side. The thin material is believed to have been made from the appendix of a sheep and probably conferred more encouragement with its ribald artwork than it did protection from pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.The condom is decorated with an explicit, irreverent scene of a nun with her legs spread showing her genitals to three clerics (from their garb Id guess a Franciscan, a Dominican and a Jesuit) enthusiastically returning the favor. She points to one of them as her selection for a tryst. A caption underneath declares Voil mon choix (This is my choice.). The museum hypothesizes that this may be a parody of the Judgement of Paris, when the prince of Troy gave Aphrodite the golden apple, judging her the most beautiful in a contest between her, Athena and Hera. Aphrodite secured her victory by offering him the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen, wife of Menelaus of Sparta, as his prize, so Paris choice ultimately set off the Trojan War.(I dont know why the AP article brings Renoirs painting of the scene into this story as it was made almost 100 years after this condom, and the Rijksmuseum experts are referring to the myth itself, not to one specific depiction of it.)Condoms have an ancient history one made of oil-soaked linen was found in the tomb of King Tutankhamun (ca. 1350 B.C.) but were popularized after 1500 when syphilis spread far and wide. They could be made of linen, fish bladders or sheep intestines and had little ribbons attached at the open end to tie them on. They were sold in barber shops, taverns and brothels, and they were expensive. Until the invention of vulcanised rubber in 1839, condoms were mostly the province of upper class men, and even they bought one and reused it over and over. The examples with erotic etchings are thought to have been sold at brothels as novelties and souvenirs.The condom was bought at an auction by the Rijksprentenkabinet six months ago, thanks to the support of the FG Waller Fund. The Rijksprentenkabinet collection consists of some 750,000 prints, drawings and photographs. In addition to works on paper, prints on other materials are also collected. A print on a condom was not yet in the Rijksmuseum collection.Im sure. I imagine theyre hard to come by.

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