200-year-old condom 'in mint condition' says museum

An almost 200-year-old condom - in "mint condition" - has just gone on display at an exhibition at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

It is thought to be made of a sheep's appendix and features an explicit print representing a nun and three clergymen.

The rare artefact dates back to 1830 and was purchased by the museum at an auction last year. The condom is part of an exhibition on 19th Century prostitution and sexuality. Prints, drawings and photographs also form part of the display.

Rijksmuseum curator Joyce Zelen told the BBC when she and her colleague first spotted the condom at auction they "were laughing".

Ms Zelen said "no-one else noticed it" and they were the only ones who bid on it.

After obtaining the item, they inspected it with UV light and ascertained that it had not been used.

"It's in mint condition," said Ms Zelen.

Since it was put on display the museum has been packed with people - young and old - and the "response has been amazing", she added.

Ms Zelen explained the condom is believed to have been a "luxury souvenir" from a fancy brothel in France, and that only two such objects are known to have survived to the present day.

The museum said the unusual item "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".

The explicit print on this specific object shows the nun sitting in front of the three men with her dress up and her legs apart pointing her finger at the clergymen, all of whom are standing in front of her holding up their habits.

The condom also bears the inscription "Voilà mon choix", meaning "There is my choice".

The museum noted the print is thus to be considered as a "parody of both celibacy and the Judgement of Paris from Greek mythology", the latter being the mythological story of a Trojan Prince named Paris who had to decide who was the fairest goddess among Aphrodite, Hera and Athena.

The Dutch museum notes that their Print Room collection holds some 750,000 prints, drawings and photographs but that this is the first example in the collection of a print on a condom.

"As far as we can tell we are the only art museum with a printed condom," said Ms Zelen.

She said her institution was "open to loan" the artefact out to other museums, but noted that the condom was very delicate.

It will be on display until the end of November.